Successful first flight of the maneuvering balloon BalMandeveloped and manufactured by the Hemeria group and under project management by CNES. Very good news for France, which wishes to become one of the world leaders in the field of very high altitudes (between 20 and 100 km). On the night of October 30 to 31, BalMan performed in “record delays” according to Hemeria Managing Director Nicolas Multan, its first flight test from the Guiana Space Center (CSG). This flight made it possible to validate “ the reliability of the stratospheric balloon envelope and flight safety systems in high altitude conditions »explained CNES and Hemeria in a joint press release. Above all, it confirms France's ambition in maneuvering balloons through the European leadership of Hemeria.
“The success of this first flight of the maneuvering balloon BalMan once again highlights France’s exceptional know-how in the field of aerostats,” underlined the Director of Orbital Systems and Applications at CNES, Caroline Laurent.
Long neglected by the military, this section of altitude is once again becoming a strategic space where everything needs to be built: doctrinal issues, operational issues and capacity issues. The example of the Chinese balloon approximately 25 meters wide, considered by the Pentagon as a spy device and shot down in February 2023 by an F-22A Raptor off the coast of South Carolina by the American army on the orders of the president Joe Biden, once again demonstrates a strategic issue even if China maintains for its part that it was a civil aircraft.
Stay for a long time in an area of interest
A real strategic challenge for France, this innovative stratospheric balloon project was initiated as part of France Relance, with the support of the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) and CNES. “With this new type of maneuvering balloon, the aim is to control the dependence of the balloon’s movements on the winds in order to control the direction of the system”specified CNES and Hemeria. The objective is to stay above a geographical area of interest, at several tens of kilometers altitude, much longer than a drift balloon, a plane or even a drone can do.
The maneuvering stratospheric balloon program “demonstrates the innovative approach implemented by an agency and an industry with a common goal. We will now move on with new milestones towards the operational product,” explained the general director of Hemeria, Nicolas Multan, whose group participated in its financing.
Following this first test flight, a second flight will take place in 2025. It will test the maneuvering capacity of the balloon and the carrying of a payload (50 kg maximum payload). BalMan is of great interest to the military and will find applications around meteorology and the monitoring of risk areas (monitoring fire outbreaks, volcanic eruptions, etc.). “The activities BalMan will now continue to quickly offer this technology to the scientific, defense communities or commercial operators”confirmed Caroline Laurent.
