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Crew
Wim Verstraeten Wim Verstraeten
Bertrand Piccard Bertrand Piccard
Andy Elson Andy Elson

Launch

Château-d'Oex, Switzerland.



Flight

Launch Window: early Dec.-end of Feb.
Cruising Altitude: 35,000 to 43,000
Duration: 15 days
Outside Air Temperature: -55 to -70 degrees C
Speed: over 120 mph


The Balloon
Breitling Orbiter balloon in flight

Type: De Rozier
Fabric: Nylon, welded to a helium-tight membrane

The Capsule
Breitling Orbiter capsule

Fuel: kerosene
Fuel Cylinders: kerosene stored in six external fuel bags

Communications

  • Two HF radios
  • Two VHF radios
  • Two Inmarsat C satellite data transmission systems
  • One Inmarsat M and one Inmarsat Mini-M satellite voice communication system
  • Two radar transponders
  • Triplicated GPS systems
Check out the other global contenders.
Take me to the Breitling Orbiter 2 web site.



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