Our HAB Assistance Program (HABA)

As of January 2017, we now offer in-person (hands-on) assistance, logistics, and consultancy for high altitude balloon flights. In collaboration with our network of HAB enthusiasts, we offer services for everything you need for a successful launch, including filling, tracking, and recovery of high altitude balloons – giving you the peace of mind for your launch. For non-profit organizations, students, and educators, we provide free consulting, so please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Picture above: In 2017, we had fun in California assisting the ASTRAX team with 3 high school students on their 2017 American HAB launch. For more photos, click here.

Our experience

We are proud of our 100% payload recovery. See our Launch page for details about previous launches. Bottom line, we can reduce the technical difficulty of getting your payload into near space. We have launched with video journalists, educators, middle school to college-level students, and promotion and sales specialists. Contact us with your specific needs in order to succeed. We have even recovered payloads stuck in trees for our clients on tight time schedules!

If we can’t help you, we are happy to put you in contact with our network of balloon enthusiasts, including our friends at Launch with Us. Check out their launch with The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Keep in mind, there are many risks involved. For example, your payload could end up landing in restrictive areas making retrieval impossible despite accurate tracking. Please do not launch equipment that you absolutely can’t lose.

Picture above: In 2017, we also helped Cordarrian Richardson announce his football decision from nearspace - Checkout the Bleacher Report video for Commitment Week 2017.

FAQs

Can I have equipment from the HABA program shipped for my launch?

We are currently unable to provide our tracking equipment for use without our supervision. If owning the equipment is important to you, we provide details on how to build your own tracker on our education page.

Will I be liable for the loss of HABA devices?

We will never hold you liable for the loss of our equipment in the case that the devices fail or become unrecoverable. Even in cases in which you make a mistake in good faith, we will not hold you liable. We advise you to follow our instructions to ensure a successful recovery.

More details about our Assistance Coverage

• Transferring knowledge: We will give you details necessary for your own launch. Check out this resource from Launch with Us.
• Providing tracking devices: We reduce your risk of losing a payload by flying fine-tuned, tested, previously validated tracking devices. Our devices leverage both broad and established cellular and HAM radio networks, reducing the risk of losing your payload due to spotty coverage.
• Operating tracking ground stations: We provide ground station equipment to track your payload.
• Ensuring regulatory compliance: We will help you with various regulatory compliance requirements, such as launch site selection and filing a notice to airmen (NOTAM).
• Providing launch-day tasks and equipment: Figuring out how to fill the balloons safely may be daunting. We help you make the process safe, easy, and fun.
• Retrieving the payload: We have experience with payload retrieval from landowners across the country. If your payload lands on a tree, we have members that are recreationally certified tree climbers.
• Troubleshooting your problems: With many successful launches, we are confident about our ability to help you resolve stressful issues. Our experience will give you peace of mind.