https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/faa-aware-of-balloon-traveling-over-las-vegas/ar-AA1qkumN?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=471754cf80df4f02a8b6c1f79a3ed87a&ei=30LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The FAA said it was aware of a balloon traveling across the western U.S., including over Las Vegas, which sparked curiosity on the ground.
Several people called NewsNation affiliate KLAS on Monday morning to report seeing the balloon, prompting the National Weather Service to report it as its own. Later Monday, the office pulled back on its initial statements, saying the balloon was not theirs. National Weather Service offices across the country release weather balloons twice a day.
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“The FAA is aware of a balloon traveling across multiple states including Nevada and its operators are coordinating with the FAA,” a department spokesperson said. “The balloon is expected to operate for the next 30-60 days.”
World View Enterprises confirmed Monday evening that the balloon was one of its Stratollite high-altitude balloon systems, which uses “a combination of a zero-pressure lift balloon filled with helium and a super-pressure ballast balloon to lift a stratospheric vehicle with payloads attached into the stratosphere,” a company spokesperson said.
The mission was launched on Saturday, Aug. 31, from Arizona for Space Environment Technologies, in collaboration with NASA, as part of the Automated Radiation Measurements for Aerospace Safety (ARMAS) project. The balloon is flying a sensor package in the stratosphere to increase its solar radiation data set, according to the spokesperson.
