OLHZN-19 was the nineteenth high altitude weather balloon flight for Overlook Horizon High Altitude Balloons.  This flight is launched on August 2, 2019 at 8:30am EDT (12:30UTC) from Farmington, NY. This flight was the second flight attempt for our new live video transmission system to obtain and view live video from an on-board camera while the balloon and payload is in-flight.  Our debut of the new live video transmission system occurred during our flight OLHZN-18.  That flight was very encouraging as it proved that the concept was feasible, however, there were some issues that needed to be addressed to improve the video performance.  The range on this new camera was very much unknown, however, during OLHZN-18, we were able to obtain a few clear frames from over 100,000 FT. in altitude.  OLHZN-19 implemented a new on board transmission antenna to better direct the video signal to the ground.  We also implemented a new ground receiving antenna to better receive the video feed.  The live video system is still very experimental.  We hoped to have a little more consistency with our video feed and eliminate at least some of the choppiness experienced during OLHZN-18, however, it appears that the combination of the new antenna setup and the further downrange landing distance resulted in worse video performance than previously experiencing.  We suspect that the on-board directional antenna was too directional and we were not able to pick up video signal very long after launch.  Future iterations may implement circularly polarized antennas and/or multiple ground stations and stitch together the received video for the best performance.

This flight again featured a BalloonSat customer and launched with another set of bookplates on-board to celebrate a new book release from Phil Stamper called, The Gravity of Us.  Books that are pre-ordered by 2/4/2020 will be eligible to receive one of these unique bookplates that have traveled to the edge of space!  This was the second and final flight featuring those bookplates.  The first set were included on board OLHZN-18.

New Technology Added:

Live Broadcast

Important Info

The maximum altitude achieved for this flight was 102,185 FT. (31,146 m) MSL which occurred 116 minutes into the flight at 10:26:46am EDT (14:26:46 UTC).

This payload landed 23.99 mi. (38.61 km) downrange from the launch site. The final landing occurred 2 hours, 27 minutes & 45 seconds after launch at 42.815762, -76.916695 at an altitude of 572 FT. (174 m)

The minimum recorded temperature was -58 °F (-50 °C) which occurred at an altitude of 38,721 FT. (11,802 m)

The maximum recorded temperature was 69 °F (20 °C) which occurred at an altitude of 724 FT. (221 m)

The maximum recorded horizontal ground speed was 52 mph (83 km/h) which occurred at an altitude of 42,923 FT. (13,083 m)

The fastest vertical free-fall speed achieved after balloon burst was recorded at 179 mph (288 km/h). This measurement occurred at an altitude of 66,813 FT. (20,365 m) shortly after the balloon burst event at 102,185 FT. (31,146 m) MSL

This flight will add new technology to improve our live in-flight video feed:

Balloon Sat Payload

This flight will also carry a BalloonSat customer payload and will have bookplates for the book The Gravity of Us.

Phil Stamper - The Gravity of Us

Flight Data

Flight Path | Predictions vs. Actual

This map shows the flight prediction (blue) vs. the actual flight path (red).

Technical Specifications

  • Launch Time: August 2, 2019 at 8:30:02am EDT (12:30:02 UTC)

  • Launch Location: 42.988453, -77.327377 at 615 FT. (187 m)

  • Ascent Rate: 870fpm (4.42 m/s)

  • Burst Altitude: 102,185 FT. (31,146 m) MSL

  • Time to Burst: 116 minutes

  • Descent Time: 31 minutes

  • Descent Rate: 1,333fpm (6.79 m/s)

  • Landing Location: 42.815762, -76.916695 at 572 FT. (174 m)

  • Downrange Landing Distance: 23.99 mi. (38.61 km)

  • Landing Time: August 2, 2019 at 10:57:47am EDT (14:57:47 UTC)

  • Total Flight Time: 2 hours, 27 minutes & 45 seconds

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