STEP 1 – REQUESTING A LAUNCH

Any K-12 educator in Wyoming who is interested in hosting a K-12 balloon launch must fill out our online K-12 Balloon Launch Request Form. We are no longer taking requests via email. On the request form, we ask for a preferred launch date and time, as well as any alternative date and times that will work. When we receive a request, we check our schedule to see if we can accommodate any of these dates. We will then coordinate with the person who submitted the request to finalize both a primary launch date and a backup launch date.

In Wyoming, the best time of the year weatherwise to launch and recover balloons is generally between April and October. However, we have conducted successful balloon flights in every month except January. It is usually best to launch in the morning when winds are typically at their calmest. This also allows ample time for payload recovery later in the day.

Depending on availability, we may have to put a request on our wait list. We usually give priority to new groups that have not yet launched with us before. Although we’ve conducted most of our launches with K-12 groups (schools, summer camps, afterschool programs, etc.), we have launched with other educational groups as well (e.g., teacher workshops, college/university groups). Non-K-12 groups who are interested in doing a launch with us should reach out to us via email (wsgc@uwyo.edu).