6 Votes (3.67 Average) and 841 Views  

Unknown/Generic Undesignated (N352WQ) - 17 May 18
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Unknown/Generic Undesignated (N352WQ)

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17 May 18

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Greg ByingtonPhoto Uploader
I know it doesn't look like much, but consider that this balloon was floating around SE Arizona (mostly Cochise County) all day and is at approx FL700. Yes, that is a seven. I took this shot while the balloon was approx four miles north of the US/Mexico border near Naco, AZ. I was approx five miles (horizontally) from the balloon and closer to the border. I used a 600mm lens and then I've cropped it quite a bit so you can see some details. It isn't a great picture. It looks like (according to flightradar24.com) the flight originated in Tucson, AZ, and I believe it belongs to World View Enterprises. They are building high altitude balloons that can carry a variety of payloads. In fact, I think they plan on offering rides in/on the balloons to the public that will take them up to near space. I also found the registration number on flightradar24. When you check the FAA registry it doesn't really say anything about the specific aircraft it just shows that the number is registered to:

FAA OFC OF COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION AST-300
Greg ByingtonPhoto Uploader
Okay, looking at the data from yesterday again, I'm not sure this balloon was actually that high. But I did follow it (on the ground) for a couple of hours, and I know it was pretty dang high. In any case, it was/is an interesting sight.
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