The Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility

About CSBF
Balloon Info
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The Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF), located in Palestine, Texas, is a NASA facility managed by Peraton.   The contract to manage the facility is administered by the Balloon Program Office at Wallops Flight Facility of Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).

We provide the services of launching large (400 ft. dia), unmanned, high altitude (120,000 ft.), research balloons; tracking, and recovering the scientific experiments suspended beneath them, for NASA centers and universities from all over the world.

NASA/CSBF: The Scientific Ballooning Story

Scientific Balloons Video Gallery

Palestine Operations

Fort Sumner Operations

Antarctica Operations

Wanaka Operations


New Zealand 2025
HiWinds
SN12 - Test Flight


Fort Sumner Sept-Oct 2025
JPL Remote
Salter Test Flight
BOOP!
HASP
Picture-D
Thai-Spice


Burns, Oregon 2025
CDCP Hand Launch
ELVES Hand Launch


Antarctica Dec 2025 - Jan 2026
GAPS
PUEO
Hical 1 Hand Launch
Hical 2 Hand Launch


Balloon Program Chief: Gabriel Garde
CSBF Site Manager: Robert Renko
Website Curator: Michelle Johnson
Last Updated: January 29, 2025
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