It’s been fun watching these two balloons. KR9T our 11th Launch, was launched on January 26th from Highland Park, IL and traveled nearly around the globe. KR9T was last seen sharing a border with Alaska and Canada on February 5th 2022. We started in North America and ended in North America in 10 days of flight.

Our 12th Launch was KC9RP/3 was launched on Tuesday February 8th from Highland Park, IL and traveled to the Atlantic Ocean just East of Newfoundland and South of Greenland for just over 27 hours. We believe we lost our Pico Balloon KC9RP due to heavy storms in the area. We were not alone and shared our fate with W5KUB-107 last reported on February 10th 2022.

Since starting our launches in September of 2021, we have had two balloons that traveled nearly around the globe. KD9ORR our 8th Launch was launched on December 22nd 2021 traveled for 19 days, passing the International Dateline going East, then turning and passing the International Dateline going West spending 8 days around the Marshall Islands before lost around the Federated States of Micronesia on January 13th, 2022. Then our 11th Launch KR9T taking the more direct route, nearly around the globe in 10 days.

While we are hoping to launch 2 balloons each month we are dependent upon the weather. Not only for the perfect day to launch, but now having flown KC9RP, we will be looking for the NOAA HYSPLIT Model for weather 84 hours ahead for possible storms that would effect our flights. We lost KC9RP in the same weather pattern that lost W5KUB-107 which launched from Mississippi on February 9th and lost on February 10th. We hope you’ll continue to follow, the Northern Illinois Bottlecap Balloon Brigade.

73, Cary KD9ITO