• Beata Ciacek
  • 02.06.2026
  • 13:13

HelloSpace in the Stratosphere of Their Dreams

It happened! Ten years after the first school stratospheric flight, the HelloSpace team managed not only to reach the “edge of space,” but also successfully to complete all planned research missions. This success was made possible by the extraordinary determination of the Pre-DP2 students from the HelloSpace team, working under the guidance of their physics teacher, Mr. Piotr Morawiecki, and the stratospheric probe they built.

The HelloSpace team during the balloon launch in Brwinów

The project’s objectives were simple. The students attached a homemade stratospheric probe to a helium-filled weather balloon. During the flight, both while ascending on the balloon and descending on a parachute, the probe performed a series of measurements programmed by the students, including pressure, humidity, temperature, speed of sound, and the intensity of scattered light in the atmosphere. After landing, the probe transmitted its coordinates, which made it possible to locate it quickly.

The participants prepare the probe for launch …
and fill the balloon with helium

This was the fourth attempt at a stratospheric flight in our school’s history. In 2017 and 2024, our students successfully carried out similar missions; however, in both cases, the electronic system and one of the cameras malfunctioned, preventing us from collecting measurement data and photographs of the atmosphere. You are encouraged to read the articles about those missions and the extraordinary search operations:https://ib.2slo.pl/globus-aerostaticus-czyli-jak-zapragnelismy-dosiegnac-kosmosu/ i https://ib.2slo.pl/wytrwale-ku-stratosferze/

Despite the difficulties encountered during last year’s flight, the HelloSpace participants did not give up. After receiving a donation from Sport Grupa, which covered the costs of the next stratospheric mission, the students enthusiastically fixed all the structural defects detected in the probe and began preparations for the next flight.

The probe was launched from a clearing in Brwinów
The balloon was visible for the first 7 minutes of its ascent, after which it disappeared into the clouds

The flight took place on May 30, 2026. After smooth mission preparations and receiving the go-ahead from air traffic control, the HelloSpace probe took off from Brwinów at 10:44 a.m., beginning its second journey into the stratosphere. It soared to an altitude of over 30 kilometers above sea level—three times higher than the typical cruising altitude of passenger aircraft—reaching the stratosphere, commonly known as the “edge of space.” When the probe transmitted the coordinates of its landing site at 1:32 p.m., the search expedition immediately set out.

Simulation of the Hello Space probe’s flight path …
and the probe in the crown of a pine tree after landing

It turned out that the probe had landed in a forest in the southern part of the Mazovia Province, becoming entangled high above the ground in the branches of a pine tree. After nearly two hours of attempts to retrieve the device, thanks to the effort, cooperation, and ingenuity of the entire team, they managed to safely bring the probe down to the ground and recover all the data collected during the flight.

The search team after finding the probe in the woods near the village of Brogowa

The mission’s results were impressive. The team successfully recorded a complete set of measurement data from the entire ascent phase and part of the return flight, which they are currently analyzing. In addition, the probe captured over 10,000 unique images of Earth’s atmosphere from a height near the edge of space using two cameras. We highly encourage you to view the photo gallery of the entire flight, available below the article.

Two of the thousands of photos taken by the Hello Space probe …
during its stratospheric flight

The story of the HelloSpace team is a perfect example of why it’s not worth getting discouraged by setbacks. The students learned from their earlier difficulties, refined their design, and, thanks to their tremendous determination, prepared it for a second flight. The experience they gained allowed them to carry out the most successful space mission in our school’s history.

We warmly congratulate the entire team and wish them the best of luck in tackling their next ambitious challenges!

Photo gallery from the flight:

10:44 a.m. – the first images taken by the probe; the HelloSpace team can be seen in the lower right corner
10:44 a.m. – the probe is rising above Brwinów at a speed of 4.7 m/s; skyscrapers in downtown Warsaw are visible in the distance on the horizon
10:53 a.m. – the probe breaks through the stratocumulus clouds in the lower cloud layer; the instruments on the HelloSpace board enabled the study of the clouds by observing changes in air humidity and the intensity of sunlight scattered by the clouds
11:00 a.m. – the probe continues to penetrate the troposphere (the lowest layer of the Earth’s atmosphere); low-level clouds are visible below it, and high-level clouds above it
11:10 a.m. – as the probe ascended through the troposphere, it passed through a strong jet stream that carried it to the southern part of the Mazovia Province
11:14 a.m. – the satellite is approaching the cirrostratus clouds, where a characteristic halo effect is visible around the sun
11:24 a.m. – the probe has broken through the cirrostratus clouds and continues to climb toward the stratosphere; the curvature of the Earth is causing distortion on the camera lens
11:43 a.m. – although the air temperature during the flight dropped as low as -55 degrees Celsius, thanks to a very thick layer of Styrofoam insulation, the temperature inside the probe did not fall below 7 degrees during the flight
11:58 a.m. – as the flight is being continued, the thin blue layer of the atmosphere surrounding our planet becomes increasingly visible
12:09 p.m.– as the probe ascends, there is less and less air above it to scatter sunlight, causing the sky to grow increasingly dark
12:34 p.m. – for most of the flight, the probe ascended through the stratosphere, capturing about 3,000 incredible photos of our planet’s atmosphere
12:53 p.m. – the probe reaches an altitude of 30 km above sea level, approaching the highest point of its flight; the measuring instruments recorded a drop in pressure to 10.18 hPa, which means that the probe has penetrated through nearly 99% of the Earth’s atmosphere
12:55 p.m. – as the balloon ascended, atmospheric pressure decreased, causing the helium inside to expand further; at the highest point of the flight, the balloon’s diameter was more than four times larger than at takeoff
12:56 p.m. – a photo of the balloon’s remains taken shortly after it burst; from that moment on, the probe begins its return journey to the Earth
12:56 p.m. – at first, the probe began spinning uncontrollably, but it was quickly stabilized by the parachute visible in the photo
1:10 p.m. – under the influence of the Earth’s gravity, the probe was falling toward the troposphere at a very high speed; as it descended, the increasing air density would begin to slow it down more and more
1:20 p.m. – the probe breaks through the upper layers of clouds on its way back to the Earth; the photo shows part of the parachute and debris from the ruptured balloon
1:31 p.m. – a photo of the village of Brogowa taken moments before landing in a nearby forest
1:32 p.m. – a photo taken shortly after landing in the crown of a pine tree; the GPS coordinates sent by the probe to the students made it possible to locate it

(text: Piotr Morawiecki, translated by Beata Ciacek with DeepL.com; zdjęcia: Piotr Morawiecki, Mania, Gosia and the HelloSpace team with the use of the probe)

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