Embry-Riddle Students Take Research to the Edge of Space

A photo of Earth from 92,200 feet is the latest result of two years of work for Embry-Riddle students leading Project BURST (Balloon in Upper‑Stratosphere Resilience and Survivability Testing).

The image, captured during the team’s third high-altitude balloon launch, shows the curvature of Earth from near-space.

For Space Operations student Elijah Nguyen (’26, ’28), who leads Project BURST, seeing that image and watching the video of the team’s entire flight made all the work worth it.

“I felt like a kid in a candy store. I remember distinctly smiling the whole time during our 2.5-hour drive back to campus from our landing site. I also felt relieved that all the work we did was successful,” he shared.

Project BURST is a student-driven research project conducted through Embry-Riddle's Payload Applied Technology and Operations (PATO) Lab within the Department of Applied Aviation Sciences. Under the mentorship of Associate Professor Pedro Llanos, students design, build, launch and recover high-altitude balloon payloads capable of reaching more than 90,000 feet.

The project gives students an opportunity to work with real aerospace systems while supporting research in areas ranging from atmospheric science to space microbiology.

Learning From Each Launch

Reaching 92,200 feet took three balloon launches, with each flight allowing the team to identify challenges, refine procedures and prepare for the next mission. Through that process, students gained firsthand experience in how aerospace missions evolve through testing, troubleshooting and continuous improvement.

“Every semester, there is one large hurdle we need to overcome to launch our balloon successfully,” Elijah said.

The first launch was about learning the basics and identifying what the team still needed to understand.

“Our second launch was nailing our launch procedures, so we made that launch a non-recoverable flight just to get the experience of launching a balloon down. That one really taught us what worked and what didn’t work and how to improve,” he explained.

By the third launch, the team was tackling more complex logistical challenges, including helium transportation, launch and recovery planning and coordination with other project partners.

Recovering the payloads is another important part of the process that the team is working toward. Retrieving hardware and data allows students to evaluate system performance, identify areas for improvement and apply those lessons to future missions.

For students, the work continues long after each balloon returns to Earth. Every launch provides new insights that help shape the next mission.

Research in a Near-Space Environment

While the image of Earth from 92,200 feet is an impressive result, BURST III carried more than a camera.

The mission included biological samples from Embry-Riddle's Space Microbiology Lab, led by Associate Professor Hugo Castillo, allowing researchers to expose the samples to high-altitude conditions. The flight also included a payload from a University of Central Florida team, containing microfluidic chips designed to evaluate system performance and behavior in a near-space environment.

The mission also brought together students and faculty from different academic areas at Embry-Riddle. The university’s Meteorology program contributed to flight planning, atmospheric analysis and operational logistics. That collaboration enabled the team to work alongside researchers and students with different areas of expertise while contributing to a larger research effort.

The Project BURST team included Eduardo Nuno (’26) and Alfred Quezada (’26), who have worked with Elijah throughout the project, along with Leah Richards (’28), Conner Sennott (’28) and Mallory Bryant (’29), who joined the team for BURST III.

Together, the students have taken on responsibilities involved in developing and launching a research platform, preparing the payload to supporting flight operations and recovery.

More Than a Classroom Experience

For Elijah, leading Project BURST has also meant gaining experience that goes far beyond what can be learned in a classroom.

The project has required students to apply what they have learned, work through unexpected challenges and make decisions based on the results of previous missions.

That real-world experience is already helping Elijah take the next step in his career. After this semester, he will begin a full-time position as a systems engineer at RTX, an opportunity he credits in part to the skills and knowledge he has gained through Project BURST.

“I wouldn't have enough real-world knowledge about systems engineering without Project BURST,” he said.

The project allows students to see the real-world impact of their work.

“To think of something my team and I have successfully flown to over 90,000 feet still gives me goosebumps thinking about it now!”

Looking Toward the Next Launch

BURST III is another step in an ongoing project. The team plans to continue working toward future launches, building on what it has learned from each mission.

For Elijah and the other students involved, that means more opportunities to test their ideas, improve the system and explore what a high-altitude balloon platform can support.

“What started as a class project is now a program that other students and research groups can build on,” he said. "The new students we added last semester and this semester can continue the project even after I leave.”