Project: Traveler will be hosting the 2025 Great Plains Super Launch on the weekend of June 12-14. As part of that event, we will be launching Project: Traveler's 43rd flight.
Bill Brown will be hitching a ride with his Iridium payload, and we'll be flying a combination of legacy trackers and the newer ptSolar trackers.
Flight Parameters
Launch Date/Time | Saturday June 14, 2025 at 8:00am (13:00Z) |
|
Alternative Date | n/a |
|
Launch Site | Hutchinson Municipal Airport (38.07N, 97.87W) |
|
Capsule 1 (Track) | Tracker: Battery powered ptSolar signing W0ZC-11
Sensors: n/a Beaconing: Timeslot
Cameras:
| 0.35kg |
Capsule 2 (Track) | Tracker: Solar powered ptSolar tracker signing W0ZC-12
Sensors: n/a Beaconing: Delay
Cameras: n/a | 0.02kg |
Capsule 3 (Track) | Tracker: Battery powered ptSolar tracker signing W0ZC-13
Beaconing:
Cameras:
| 0.70kg |
Capsule 4 | Tracker: Iridium Tracker | 0.23kg |
Recovery / Misc | Parachute and misc rigging. | 0.30kg |
Flight Weight | Total neck weight on balloon. | 1.60kg |
Balloon / Gas | 1200g Kaymont with 4.2cu meters of Hydrogen.
|
|
Estimated Burst Altitude | 31,700m MSL (104,000') |
|
Estimated Ascent Rate | 5.6m/s (1,100'/min) |
|
Estimated Descent Rate | 4.6m/s (900'/min) velocity at touch-down. |
|
Chase Frequencies | 446.100MHz |
|
NOTAM Filed | High Altitude Balloon from HUT VOR on radial 040 at 12 miles. 5 mile radius reaching Flight Level 600 from June14 at 1300Z to May 14 1900Z. (HUT06/014) Revised to HUT06/017 |
|
Flight Results
Launch Date/Time | Saturday June 14, 2025 at 12:47pm (17:47Z) |
Launch Site | Buhler, KS (38.143N, -97.775W) |
Burst Altitude | 106,086ft (32,335m) |
Average Ascent Rate | 6.98 m/s |
Measured Descent Rate | 6.69 m/s |
Touchdown Site | 38.198N, -97.576W |
Touchdown Time | 1:49pm (1849Z) |
Recovery Time | 3:11pm (2011Z) |
Distance Traveled | 18km |
Total Flight Time | 2 hour 2 minutes |
Downloads |
Flight Predictions
June 12, 2025
The launch site has officially been moved to the practice fields for Buhler schools. This is located at the intersection of 7th and Buhler Rd, in Buhler.
The exact course continues to flip and rotate day by day, but the pattern of staying within about 10 miles continues.
Surface weather continues to look very favorable with party-cloudy to cloudy skies, with suface winds around 10 knots.
June 11, 2025
The forecast flipped again this morning, pushing north of the launch location. This particular quadrant would be ideal of a Hutchinson launch.
Continuing to watch the situation...
June 10, 2025
The forecast pushes back into the city of Hutchinson, and/or South Hutchinson for the second day in a row.
I've made contact with someone in Buhler to have an alternate launch location if this trend continues.
June 9, 2025
Tonight's prediction pushed back into the city of Hutchinson.
June 8, 2025
Flight predictions for today shifted north of Hutchinson.
June 6, 2025
The flights continue to stay very close to the airport. If this trend continues into next week, I'll be looking to move the launch location away from the airport.
June 5, 2025
A very close-in chase continues to be in the forecast. These forecasts are creating a unique scenario where no matter where we launch from, the balloon risk coming back to the same populated area.
June 4, 2025
The initial predictions for the GPSL 2025 mass-launch are looking very favorable for a very short chase.
June 3, 2025
The initial predictions for the GPSL 2025 mass-launch are looking very favorable for a very short chase.