Red Tape Stops Students Balloon Flight Almost ALL high altitude weather balloon flights in Australia are grounded due to unreasonable CASA rules and red tape. Flights that took place until now have been lucky or got exemptions at zero cost from the regulator. That may not be the case from now ... Read More

Balloon Filling - UpLift-1 This is the most delicate part of the whole operation. A balloon with a leak or one that gets sweaty hands on the outside will probably cause your mission to fail. It is filled with many potential problems. For instance, it is essential that the fill tube ... Read More

CASA UpLift flight Request Here is a copy of my request. It is asking for an exemption under the current CASR rules and provides the necessary details for the flight and some further details that may help get the application across the line. Note that although there is only a 24 ... Read More

UpLift Flights My name is Robert Brand and I am involved in space support and space news. I don't just report on the space news and I like doing things, so Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Space was a natural. Unfortunately high altitude weather balloons don't get into space, but they do get a ... Read More

UpLift-1 Cameras This was one of the easiest decisions to make as the choices are limited. I wanted cameras that can record in both video and still format with High definition and record for 4-5 hours and will also do High Definition TV with wide screen format and record for about ... Read More

Calculating Lift. Since we are launching in Australia, we  must follow CASA's rule,s so the first thing is to ensure that we meet the appropriate category of balloon launches so that we do not have many issues to overcome. In Australia the relevant regulations are known as" Civil Aviation Safety Regulations ... Read More

UpLift-1 Equipment Checklist. This is the current state of play with the equipment I am after for the flight. It is a simple checklist. Green for Arrived, Orange for In Transit and Red for to be ordered. Balloon - To Be Ordered today - local delivery Helium Tank- To Be Ordered today- local ... Read More

The UpLift-1 Launch Site As strange at it sounds, the most important part of any balloon mission starts with the planning and especially planning the launch site. I have already done that, although this may change over time, but not by too much. With 3 weeks to go I am hoping ... Read More

Space - Science Outreach. by your editor Robert Brand UpLift-1 Mission Announced As you may have realized, I love space and I have a real desire to be involved in Do-It-Yourself space missions. This is a part of that process. I am announcing my first weather balloon project - a series that I ... Read More