Live tracking
Photos of the launch
Transmitter photos
Day 8: 16-May-2017
Day 7: 16-May-2017
Day 6: 15-May-2017
Day 5: 14-May-2017
Day 4: 13-May-2017
Day 3: 12-May-2017
Day 2: 11-May-2017
Day 1: 10-May-2017
Like the former flights, this one also uses a special U3S firmware version.
S24 was launched on 10-May-2017, it uses callsign CG3KCL and telemetry channel 03.
S24 flew for 8 days, but there were no further updates from S24 after leaving Japan on 16-May-2017.
Live tracking
Day 8: 17-May-2017
A nice fly-by up the West coast of Japan, and out into the Pacific.
Day 7: 16-May-2017
Day 6: 15-May-2017
Day 5: 14-May-2017
Evidently the last few reports from S24 last night were probably some kind of corruption of the GPS serial data as the battery voltage declined. S24 woke up on schedule soon after sunrise, and in good health. S24 crossed the Caspian sea and made steady progress into Kazakhstan, also the North West corner of Uzbekistan. The NOAA hysplit projection shows very rapid progress tomorrow through Russia - but with a Southern arc right at the end down over into North East China. We shall see.
Day 4: 13-May-2017
Fast progress today crossing Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania and the Black Sea, just about making into the far south corner of Russia right next to the Georgia border. At the end of the day there were some disturbing reports putting the altitude at ~5,000m. However there were several reports with GPS and Satellite status 0 which means the GPS did not achieve lock; also the reported speed of 84knots is also used for zero knots, in the telemetry system - which raised suspicions that there may be a GPS fault, not a real fall to 5,000m altitude. However there were also bad weather clouds in the area at high altitude so it was worrying. The temperature profile at the end of the day looks similar to other days - I think if there was genuinely a drop to 5,000m it would look different.
Day 3: 12-May-2017
S24 thinks it is a rocket, not a balloon (someone tell it, please) - crossing the Atlantic in less than 48 hours! Nice jet stream wind! It crossed the Spanish coast to complete the transatlantic crossing then headed on up Spain's Med coast.
Day 2: 11-May-2017
Very rapid progress East across the Atlantic! Should make it to dry land (or at least, the cold air 10km above dry land) tomorrow!
Day 1: 10-May-2017
Balloon flight S-24 was launched early in the morning on 10-May-2017 and climbed quickly to a little over 10,000m altitude. It picked up good speed and headed out over the North Atlantic ocean. The NOAA projection (see below) indicates it should make a relatively straight Atlantic crossing.
Photos of the launch
Transmitter photos
