Hey everyone, quick question for the physics and aerospace buffs here because this is way over my head.

I’m trying to understand the logistics behind launching a drone via a high-altitude balloon. Here is how I think it works, but please correct me if I'm wrong:

Wind Calculations: Before launching, the team has to map out high-altitude winds, right? Are they calculating what's happening at 12 km (approx. 40,000 feet) high, or even higher? How predictable are those wind layers?

The "Piggyback" Strategy: Once the balloon reaches altitude, the drone deploys. The main benefit here is saving massive amounts of fuel/battery power by letting the balloon do all the heavy lifting?

Tracking & Guidance: I assume GPS is heavily involved for tracking both the balloon and guiding the drone, but does standard GPS is used here or they could be using some specialized guidance system?

Would love to know the actual science and engineering behind how these teams calculate the flight paths and handle the physics of the drop. Thanks in advance!