Keep your drones at home and leave NASA's balloon alone

Keep your drones at home and leave NASA's balloon alone

The weather might look fine in Wanaka today but it's not good enough for NASA, which has yet again delayed the launch of its super pressure balloon.

Originally due to launch on April 3, the balloon will now launch tomorrow at the earliest.

"Officials will meet Friday afternoon to determine if Saturday's weather will support a launch attempt," says NASA communications chief Jeremy Eggers.

The balloon, which passed all pre-flight tests on March 30, is meant to be delivering the University of California's Compton Spectrometer and Imager to the skies 33.5km over Wanaka.

The balloon, which when inflated is big enough to hold a football stadium, can carry 4.5 tonnes of material -- roughly equivalent to 10 grand pianos or 1000 cats.

Despite its size, the balloon is fragile -- hence the need for absolutely perfect flying conditions.

And Airways New Zealand is urging drone enthusiasts in the region to keep their toys -- also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs -- on the ground.

"UAVs are becoming ever more accessible, but present a serious risk if they're not used safely and in accordance with the civil aviation rules," says chief operating officer Pauline Lamb.

If an errant drone takes it out, the operator could face a bill large enough to buy themselves a real plane -- the balloon itself worth $1.6 million, not to mention the costs of getting it in the upper atmosphere.

"Like all aviation operators, UAV operators need to make sure they understand civil aviation requirements before they take to the sky and this is particularly important during events such as the NASA balloon launch where aviation safety is paramount to a successful launch.

"It might be tempting to use your UAV to take a closer look at this exciting event, but please consider safety and keep drones away at this time."

Rules around drone use can be found on the Airshare website.

Newshub.