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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECASEY, Ill. — Aerostratospheric, an Illinois not for profit corporation, completed the public maiden science flight of X2Griffon, its flagship lightweight high altitude balloon platform, on September 19, 2026, from Casey, Illinois.
X2Griffon lifted at 1:17 PM CDT under FAA Part 101 unmanned free balloon rules. The Midwest built profiler, about 1.01 lb, reached a burst altitude of 90,356 ft at 2:48 PM CDT and landed at 3:54 PM CDT in Vigo County, Indiana, about 30 miles downrange after 2 hours 37 minutes aloft. The public flight record lists status as landed; xFall2 survived and reported the landing. The flight also recorded cold weather battery issues, including a pack bus cut off during ascent, while the mission still reached burst and a reported landing.
Aerostratospheric publishes open atmospheric observations through UOGW, the Unified Open Global Weather open commons, and related public tools. Science flights target public data release within about 48 hours after recovery via the public Data Hub. Casey ground observations also support NASA GLOBE participation (GO-4VW9B).
"Data has always been my language," said Jeremy David Higgs, founder and president of Aerostratospheric.
About Aerostratospheric
Aerostratospheric is an Illinois not for profit corporation. The organization designs, builds, and flies lightweight high altitude payload science platforms and publishes open atmospheric data for research, education, and public use. Web: https://www.aerostratospheric.com/
Media contact
Launch Control Outreach
launchcontrol@midwestsds.com
https://www.aerostratospheric.com/
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