ABOUT THE PROGRAM

The Wyoming Space Grant has been running a successful high-altitude balloon satellite program since 2014. As of 2024, we have launched more than 80 balloons across the state with well over 3,000 participants and spectators. The majority of these launches have taken place with K-12 schools, summer camps, and after school programs. We have also launched with college groups inside and outside of UW, as well as other non-K-12 educational groups around the state.

In 2017, we were active participants in the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) led by the Montana Space Grant, allowing us to stream live video of solar eclipse totality to the internet from the stratosphere high above Casper, WY. From 2019–2021, we ran the LIFT Project, an outreach program that allowed undergraduates from UW to get involved with K-12 outreach and high-altitude ballooning. More recently, we participated in a new iteration of the NEBP for the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses.

Our future endeavors will continue to focus on using the thrill and excitement of high-altitude ballooning to provide authentic hands-on learning experiences for students and teachers across Wyoming.