We’re happy to say that COSI 2020 is underway!

We closed 2019 by packing all of our lab’s equipment, various supplies, and ourselves for shipment to the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) in Palestine, TX. Packing an entire experiment in an organized and safe manner requires dedicated coordination. It was a true team effort that paid off. The loaded 28-foot truck left the Space Sciences Laboratory in Berkeley, CA on January 2, 2020 and we drove the cryostat to Palestine from January 5-8, 2020.

COSI will spend about six weeks at CSBF conducting a vacuum test of our cryostat, integrating the instrument fully, testing basic functionality, and completing a “final compatibility check” to confirm that all of our systems operate as expected with the balloon equipment. We will then pack again and ship COSI to Wanaka, New Zealand, where we will integrate fully, conduct extensive calibrations, and launch the balloon!