Corps
6 November 2024

First successful test flight for BalMan

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On the night of 30 October, the BalMan manoeuvring balloon, designed and manufactured by HEMERIA under the direction of the French Space Agency, successfully completed its first test flight from Europe’s Spaceport. 

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First successful stratospheric test for the BalMan manoeuvring balloon from Europe’s Spaceport, validating the reliability of the stratospheric balloon’s envelope and flight safety systems in high-altitude conditions. This success attests to HEMERIA's ambition for European leadership in this field, with the support of the French Space Agency. 

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Le ballon BalMan prêt à décoller depuis le CSG.
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This innovative stratospheric manoeuvring balloon project, involving real strategic stakes for France, was launched as part of the France Relance scheme, with the support of the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) and the French Space Agency. HEMERIA, the company responsible for designing and developing the balloon, also helped fund this project.

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Gonflage du ballon stratosphérique BalMan.
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Inflation of BalMan

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With this new type of manoeuvring balloon, the aim is to control the dependency of the balloon's movements on the wind, in order to control the direction of the system. The aim is to be able to hover above a geographical area of interest, at an altitude of several dozen kilometres, for much longer than a drifting balloon, a plane or even a drone. To do so, the BalMan operators use wind currents at different altitudes to move the balloon horizontally.

 

With these capabilities, the balloon will benefit a wide range of players, including the defence industry, with applications in meteorology and monitoring of high-risk areas (monitoring fire outbreaks, volcanic eruptions, etc.).

 

As the incumbent operator of stratospheric balloons in France and internationally, the French Space Agency will be able to offer this new type of aerostat to the scientific community in the future, for the long-term study of sites with high scientific value, both in the field of Earth observation and in the sciences of the universe.
 

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Récupération en mer de l'enveloppe de BalMan à l'issue de son vol.
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The BalMan envelope was recovered from the sea after the flight.

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This first test flight was an opportunity for Europe’s Spaceport to welcome back French Space Agency balloon release activities, after a 40-year hiatus. The French Space Agency teams based at Europe’s Spaceport were able to provide their expertise on space operations, ground safety and flight safety to the teams involved in BalMan.

 

Following this successful first test flight, a second flight will take place in 2025. It will test the balloon's manoeuvrability and payload capacity. BalMan has a maximum load capacity of 50 kg. These tests enable the French Space Agency and HEMERIA to move a little closer to operational use of the BalMan after each release.
 

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I'm extremely pleased with the success of the first stratospheric flight of our ambitious BalMan product. This accomplishment is down to the HEMERIA and French Space Agency teams, who completed this first challenge together, in record time. It demonstrates the innovative approach taken by an agency and a manufacturer with a common goal. We’re now moving on to the next stage, with new milestones on the road to an operational product.

 

 Nicolas Multan, CEO of HEMERIA 
 

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Video en ligne
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Behind the scenes of the BalMan mission: preparation, release and recovery at sea.

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