Students and faculty members from across Louisiana gathered at NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, Texas, this May to conduct high-altitude research. The initiative, known as the Louisiana Aerospace Catalyst Experiences for Students (LaACES), allows undergraduate students to gain hands-on experience in the aerospace industry by designing, building, and launching payloads to the edge of space.

According to NASA News Releases, the 2026 campaign saw nine university teams and one high school team, St. Joseph’s Academy, successfully launch 11 different payloads on May 19. These experiments covered a wide array of scientific fields, including cosmic ray detection, atmospheric science, solar cell performance, and stratospheric wind analysis. Before being cleared for the mission by program directors, each team participated in a rigorous engineering lifecycle process, moving through several stages of design reviews similar to professional NASA missions.

During the flight week, students were responsible for managing their equipment under the guidance of balloon facility personnel. The site provided essential logistical support, ranging from weather briefings to the complex task of filling the large latex balloons with helium. Hugo Franco, the facility's operations manager, noted that the program aims to foster a lasting appreciation for scientific ballooning while providing students with direct access to actual aerospace environments. The successful launch of the LACES-74 and LACES-75 flight trains marked the commencement of the current campaign's primary flight window, further cementing the long-running partnership between the facility and the Louisiana Space Grant Consortium.