Aerostar Stratospheric Balloon Testing Project

under construction

Aerostar, an aerospace and defense company, is partnering with South Dakota State University's Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering to test high altitude stratospheric balloons. The project involves inflating and testing large balloons at the Sanford Jackrabbit Athletic Complex to collect data and transmit communication at high altitudes. The balloons serve functions such as wildfire monitoring, methane leak detection, crop health imaging, and communication transmission similar to satellites but at a lower cost and quicker deployment.