The final launch preparations started at 10pm. The detectors were driven cold using the ground cooling approach with Nitrogen. During this period check-out tests with X-ray tube and atmospheric muons were performed. At the same time the balloon crew was preparing the launcher and the balloon.
The balloon was filled inside the hangar while the payload has slided out on the launcher before. Right before launch the balloon is moved out of the hangar. Once the balloon was released it was taking pGAPS at 4:55am smoothly into the air. At 8:00 am the float altitude of ~33km was reached and kept for the 3hours before the balloon was destroyed and the payload parachuted down into the pacific ocean. There the payload was picked-up within a few minutes by the recovery boat.
During the flight we were carrying out runs in TOF trigger mode, tracker trigger mode, and X-ray calibration runs. We were also trying different operation modes of the attitude control system.