A new packing launching method for balloons made of thin polyethylene films Original Research Article

The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) balloon group has been developing and manufacturing plastic balloons made of very thin polyethylene films which can easily reach an altitude of more than 40 km with a payload less than 10 kg since 1991. In order to launch the thin film balloon confidently and easily with the least amount of people, we have developed a new launch method called the packing launch-method. In this method, we pack the uninflated portion of the balloon in a bag. We can ignore the length of a balloon in launching because the packed part of the balloon is extended in the sky after launching, and it is possible to launch a large balloon from a launch field of limited size. The packing launch-method is a revolutionary way of launching high altitude balloons made of thin polyethylene films.