Giant Surveillance Balloons Are Lurking at the Edge of Space

Published: Dec. 31, 2019, 6:12 a.m.

It\u2019s a brisk December morning at Spaceport Tucson, America\u2019s premiere (only?) dedicated launch pad for stratospheric balloons, and a small army of technicians in reflective vests is milling around on the concrete and dethawing after a long, cold night. Nearby, a white metal tripod the size of a smart car is tethered to two dozen solar panels and hundreds of feet of clear plastic that stretches across the pad.