Slashdot reader joshuark shares this report from SFGate:
The mysterious object that hit a plane at 37,000 feet, it’s probably not space junk, as some speculated, but rather a failed test project in Silicon Valley…
WindBorne Systems, a Palo Alto startup that uses atmospheric balloons to collect weather data for AI-based forecast models, has come forward saying they believe they may be responsible for the object that hit the windshield… “At 6 a.m. PT, we sent our preliminary investigation to both the NTSB and FAA and are working with both to investigate further,” [WindBorne’s CEO John Dean posted on social media…]
WindBorne said the company has launched more than 4,000 balloons and is coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration for each launch.
WindBorne “has conducted more than 4,000 launches,” the company said said in a statementnoting that they have always coordinated launches with the US Federal Aviation Administration and filed aviation alerts for each balloon launched. Plus “The system is designed to be safe in the event of a mid-air collision… Our balloon weighs 2.4 pounds at launch and becomes lighter during flight.”
We are working closely with the FAA on this matter. We immediately made changes to minimize the time between 30,000 and 40,000 feet. These changes are already live with immediate effect. Additionally, we are accelerating our plans to use live flight data to autonomously avoid aircraft, even if the aircraft are at a non-standard altitude. We are also actively working on new hardware designs to further reduce the magnitude and concentration of impact force.
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