NASA launches enormous balloon in NZ

NASA has finally managed to launch an enormous weather balloon from Wanaka in New Zealand after several weather-hampered attempts.

NASA has managed to launch a massive weather balloon from New Zealand.

Unfavourable winds prevented it from launching the enormous Super Pressure Balloon three times during April.

But a gap in the weather on Tuesday prompted the US space agency to haul out the equipment again, sending the balloon up in the morning from Wanaka.

"And we have lift-off of NASA's super pressure balloon from Wanaka, New Zealand, on an around-the-world, 100+ day, potentially record breaking journey with the Compton Spectrometer and Imager payload. Way to go team!" NASA said on a Facebook page for the flight.

The super balloon is as large as 92 Goodyear blimps, NASA says.

Last year NASA launched one of its big balloons from Wanaka that was meant to stay aloft 34km above the earth's surface for 100 days but it leaked and landed near the Queensland and New South Wales border after 32 days.