Tricky autumn wind conditions have not put Nasa off Wanaka Airport as a launch site for giant super-pressure balloons.
In fact, it is keen to establish its own purpose-built facility at the airport.
After yesterday's third cancelled launch this month, campaign manager Dwaynne Orr told the Otago Daily Times existing airport hangars were not tall enough to easily cope with the payloads expected to be launched in future.
‘‘We're going to need a high-bay facility that gives us the ability to pull out a payload that's of the order of 9m tall.
‘‘These buildings here can't support that; none of them here would do, without major renovations.''
Mr Orr works for Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, which contracts to launch balloons for Nasa.
Nasa would pay for a building and Columbia would make recommendations on the type of building required.
Mr Orr said several ‘‘conceptual ideas'' about a balloon launching facility had been discussed with the Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC), which manages the airport for the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
Mr Orr said QAC understood the balloon programme's needs and ‘‘we're getting great support from the airport''.
‘‘We're looking to make a significant commitment time-wise with a long-term lease, and then obviously whether somebody builds a building and we lease it, or we have to build it, whatever, we want to do something.
‘‘Wanaka is a unique spot for us. We're very interested in finding ways to make sure we can work with the community and have a long-term relationship for launching balloons here.''
A report on the future of Wanaka Airport by Auckland consultants Astral noted Nasa would require a site of at least 2500sqm.
A launch attempt will not be made today.
