The 32-day-flight of Nasa's super pressure balloon, launched from Wanaka Airport on March 27, was terminated in a remote part of Australia just east of the Sturt National Park on Monday night.
The helium-filled balloon developed a leak and was brought down for safety reasons.
Mr Fegan said he had since spoken to a member of the Nasa team and understood it was decided to bring the balloon down over land, before it headed back out into the Pacific, so equipment on board could be recovered.
He believed Wanaka would continue as a base for Nasa balloon launches.
''As far as I'm aware, from the information I've had, they're still very pro-Wanaka.
''Hopefully, something will go again next year.''
Mr Fegan has tracked the progress of the balloon morning and night since it left Wanaka and said the seemingly erratic path it had followed was due to stratospheric winds.
''There were some days ... it never went anywhere all day. It's speed was on zero the whole day. Just sat there.''
Nasa's balloon programme office chief Debbie Fairbrother said yesterday the balloon had accomplished what no other heavy lift balloon had done by ''maintaining a constant float altitude for a long duration in the harsh conditions of the earth's stratosphere''.
''While we hoped for more days at float, we exceeded our pre established minimum success criteria of 10 days by three fold, in the balloon's most demanding test yet.''
A team was being dispatched to recover the balloon and payload and the cause of the leak would be investigated.
The balloon had maintained a constant float altitude of 33.5km for more than 30 days of flight through the day and night cycle, she said.
The balloon programme is designed to provide scientists with a low cost way to explore space.
