90-minute delivery from orbit: Ghost cargo pod drops radio and whiskey from 68,500 feet

What happened

High above the Utah desert in May, a high-altitude balloon released the compact reentry vehicle from 35,000 feet in one test and 68,500 feet in another. Recovery crews found the payloads quickly, according to a report on the tests.

A bottle of whiskey and a software-defined radio have given Sierra Space’s Ghost cargo vehicle its first live tests in nearly two years, and both loads came back intact. A rush job for Space Command Sierra Space built a new Ghost vehicle from scratch in less than four months after U.S.

Space Command called on the company for its Apollo Nexus exercise. Sierra Nevada supplied the radio to see whether electronics could survive a rough outdoor environment, while the whiskey stood in for liquid cargo.

Key facts

• High above the Utah desert in May, a high-altitude balloon — released: the compact reentry vehicle from 35,000 feet in one test and 68,500 feet in another
• Recovery crews — found: the payloads quickly, according to a report on the tests