Meteorological (Weather) Balloons

Meteorological (Weather) Balloons by PAWAN

Since 1968, PAWAN has specialized in producing high-quality meteorological balloons (also known as weather balloons) for both Indian and international meteorological agencies. These balloons play a crucial role in gathering precise upper air data, which is essential for weather forecasting and atmospheric research. Our signature 1200-gram balloon (CPR-1200) is the preferred choice of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) for high-altitude flights, and our products are trusted by research teams operating in extreme conditions, including Antarctica.

About Our Meteorological Balloons

Our meteorological balloons are crafted from durable, highly elastic latex compounds to withstand high altitudes and extreme cold conditions and come in a range of sizes based on payload and burst altitude requirements. The latex compounds are precisely tailored to ensure that the balloon film remains elastic at temperatures as low as -80C. Inflated with either hydrogen or helium, our balloons achieve a controlled ascent to carry equipment into the upper atmosphere, the ascent rate is controlled by the amount of gas used to inflate the balloon. Burst altitude achieved by a weather balloons is dependent on various factors such as ascent rate (free lift), launch conditions, upper air weather conditions, payload as well as balloon handling and storage prior to launch.

Routine and Specialized Launches Worldwide

More than 1,000 sites globally conduct routine weather balloon launches twice daily at 0000 UTC and 1200 UTC. In addition to these, some facilities perform special launches when meteorologists require additional atmospheric data. These balloons are launched by military and government meteorological agencies worldwide, with data shared internationally.

Versatile Applications

In addition to meteorology, our balloons support a wide array of specialized uses, including:

High Altitude Ballooning (HAB)
Aviation Monitoring
Pollution Tracking
Aerial Photography and Videography
Atmospheric Research

Whether for large organizations or the active high-altitude ballooning community, PAWAN offers quality and reliability you can trust.

PAWAN has been in the business of manufacturing high quality Meteorological Balloons/Weather Balloons since 1968. Our Meteorological Balloons / Weather Balloons are used regularly by the Indian as well as International Meteorological Agencies for their daily upper air observations in gathering accurate data via upper air measurements. Our 1200 gm meteorological balloon (CPR-1200) is the standard weather balloon size used by ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) for their high altitude meteorological balloon flights. ISRO and various other Indian and International research organizations also use PAWAN meteorological balloons in extreme climatic conditions in Antarctica.

Meteorological Balloons/Weather Balloons are manufactured using a highly elastic latex material and come in various sizes depending on the payload and burst altitude requirements. Meteorological Balloons/Weather Balloons are usually inflated with hydrogen or helium to provide lift necessary to carry the payload into space. The ascent rate is controlled by the amount of gas used to inflate the balloon. Burst altitude achieved by a weather balloons is dependent on various factors such as ascent rate (free lift), launch conditions, upper air weather conditions, payload as well as balloon handling and storage prior to launch.

There are over a 1000 sites worldwide that do routine meteorological balloon/weather balloon launches, twice daily, usually at 0000 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) and 1200 UTC. Some facilities will also do occasional supplementary “special” releases when meteorologists determine there is a need for additional data between the 12 hour routine launches in which time much can change in the atmosphere. Military and civilian government meteorological agencies typically launch weather balloons, and by international agreements almost all the data is shared with all nations. There is also a very active high altitude weather ballooning ‘hobby’ community.

Specialized uses also exist, such as for aviation interests, pollution monitoring, photography or videography and research