“…UAVOS, in conjunction with Stratodynamics, has successfully performed a series of stratospheric flights with its autonomous HiDRON unmanned glider. Supported by the NASA Flight Opportunities Program, the flights tested turbulence detection sensors developed by the University of Kentucky (UKY) and NASA’s Langley Research Center, in order to advance new forward sensing turbulence detection technologies for aircraft at near-space and commercial flight altitudes. The HiDRON UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was launched from a balloon at an altitude of 82,000 ft. (25 km) for the first two launches, and at 98,000 ft. (30 km) for the final launch, gliding successfully at 92,000 ft (28 km). The HiDRON was released from the balloon in zero-gravity conditions and accelerated rapidly, approaching 300 mph ground speed (480 kph) in the first 15 seconds of flight. The HiDRON then glided in a controlled flight path back toward Spaceport America’s runway for approximately 4.5 hours while recording flight and payload data…”

The HiDRON UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was launched from a balloon at an altitude of 82,000 ft. (25 km) for the first two launches, and at 98,000 ft. (30 km) for the final launch, gliding successfully at 92,000 ft (28 km).