A century of balloons

For nearly a hundred years, weather forecasters have tied sensor boxes to balloons, released them, and lost the hardware. They only launch at fixed times, missing storms brewing between launches.

Meteomatics introduces Strato

Swiss weather technology company Meteomatics recently introduced Strato, a multicopter drone designed to study Earth's atmosphere. It reaches higher troposphere altitudes than weather balloons at a fraction of the price.

Reusable by design

Unlike weather balloons, Strato returns to its launch site after each mission, ready to fly again. A weather instrument you can operate repeatedly, wherever and whenever needed, could change how we predict weather.

Vertical profiles on demand

According to Meteomatics, no drone before Strato could profile the atmosphere from ground into the stratosphere on demand. As it climbs, Strato reads temperature, humidity, pressure, and wind at every altitude.

What radiosondes do

Until now, only a radiosonde, the instrument package hanging from weather balloons, could collect vertical profile data. Meteorologists use this core sample of air to understand atmospheric conditions.

Balloon problems

Weather balloons take roughly forty minutes to rise to twelve kilometres, or about thirty nine thousand feet. Additionally, ninety percent of weather balloons never return, their radiosondes lost forever, essentially becoming pollution.

“90% of weather balloons never return to the people who launched them, their radiosondes lost forever, essentially becoming pollution.”

Recovery and refitting

Some new balloon models have GPS and controlled descent for sensor recovery, but scientists must drive miles to retrieve them. The packages then need refitting before flying again, taking time and making continuous operation impossible.

Strato's speed advantage

Strato rises to thirty four thousand feet in about twenty five minutes, finishing a full atmospheric profile in about half the time a weather balloon would. CEO Martin Fengler confirmed this performance to the reporter.

Always returns ready

Strato always returns to its operators' exact location, ready to ascend again and again. This eliminates the recovery and refitting delays that make weather balloons impossible to operate continuously.

On-demand atmospheric data

With Strato, meteorologists can launch atmospheric profiles whenever they need them, not just at fixed times. This on-demand capability means they can respond to storms brewing between traditional balloon launches.

Cost and efficiency gains

Strato operates at a fraction of the price of weather balloons while reaching higher altitudes faster. The reusable drone eliminates the pollution problem of lost radiosondes and the expense of repeated balloon launches.

Changing weather prediction

A weather instrument that can fly repeatedly, wherever and whenever needed, could fundamentally change how meteorologists watch the sky and predict weather. Strato's capabilities address the core limitations of century-old balloon technology.