Nasa has successfully launched a super pressure balloon from Wanaka Airport to conduct near-space scientific investigations.
While winds looked set to thwart plans early this morning, conditions eased, allowing the launch about 11.30am.
Watch a livestream of the launch here
Tuesday's launch marks the fifth attempt to get the massive balloon airborne, with previous bids thwarted due to bad weather, Nasa said.
Long-duration balloon flights at constant altitudes play an important role in providing inexpensive access to the near-space environment for science and technology.
The 532,000 cubic metre balloon is expected to circumnavigate the globe about the southern hemisphere's mid-latitudes once every one to three weeks, depending on wind speeds in the stratosphere, Nasa said.