Up: Balloon project inflated by county vote

A Colorado Springs startup company won approval Thursday to test a weather and communications device on the eastern plains, though two El Paso County commissioners dissented.

Global Near Space Services, formed in 2006, wants to fly the tethered balloons for testing and training 4,000 feet above 160 acres southeast of Judge Orr and Yoder roads.

The company, which plans to hire up to 50 people in the coming months, works with the military, government agencies and private companies who need to establish communications quickly or in remote areas, or conduct security work, such as in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But to locate the operation out east, Global needed a variance for the agriculturally zoned land.

After a two-hour hearing during which commissioners questioned lighting, noise, traffic and potential accidents, the plan was approved by a 3-2 vote.

Commission Chairman Jim Bensberg opposed it based on aircraft-warning lights, which the Federal Aviation Administration requires be placed on the tether cable every 350 feet.

"I believe it's more appropriate to conduct this type of research elsewhere," said Bensberg, who represents a district that covers most of the city.

Commissioner Sallie Clark, who represents the western and southwestern district, also voted no, saying the proposal is inconsistent with agricultural zoning designed to preserve farming and ranching.

But other commissioners welcomed the firm's expansion and the prospect of more jobs and revenue.

"I'm excited about what this might bring to the county," said Commissioner Amy Lathen, who represents the eastern plains.

Global Near Space Services and its parent, Near Space Systems, is developing a family of balloon-type platforms that carry wide-area communications, broadband and sensing devices to serve military and commercial customers, according to its Web site, www.globalnearspace.com.

At Thursday's meeting, company official Tim Murphy said Global aims to launch devices into near space, an area 85,000 feet above the Earth - higher than airplane traffic but lower than satellites.

A step toward that goal was to develop a balloon that hovers at 4,000 feet.

"What we found out is there's a huge market for an aerostat," Murphy said.

The balloons range from 500 to 1,000 pounds, including payloads, and are filled with helium, although they could be filled with hydrogen, Murphy said.

Commissioner Wayne Williams noted the Hindenburg dirigible that crashed in flames on May 6, 1937, was filled with hydrogen.

Murphy said the Hindenburg was painted with rocket fuel, which accelerated the fire. He also said Fort Carson's soldiers fired .50-caliber tracer bullets at the aerostat during a test on post. "There was a tiny puff of flame," he said. "About a half-hour after they put 40 holes in it, it was still buoyant because the gas escaped so slowly."

Commissioners expressed concerns about impacts to neighbors' views of the stars and the area's peace and quiet.

Murphy said most operations will take place during the day and that the lights aren't overly distracting.

Global plans to build a hangar, caretakers' home, office and classroom space on the property, which would accommodate training for eight to 12 people.

Murphy said the balloons aren't likely to drift over adjacent property and won't crash. He also said they can withstand 80-mph winds but won't be kept aloft during major storms.

He said Global is working closely with the FAA and has obtained most of the approvals necessary.

The operation could be an economic boon to the area, Murphy said.

Besides creating jobs, he said, "We expect to bring people in from other companies to do training here, which will bring business from outside the county.

"Obviously, we have an opportunity to create a center of expertise in a region of aviation that just doesn't exist anywhere," he said. "Near space is the great untapped space where nobody is operating. We'd like to attract some of that to El Paso County."

If Global wants to fly higher than 4,000 feet, it must get additional approval. The variance approved Thursday lasts for five years.

Public opposition consisted of a letter from an adjacent landowner who complained the project doesn't fit in with the area's rural flavor.