World View’s Stratollite High-Altitude Balloon

World View’s Stratollite high-altitude balloon is inflated on the launch pad in Tucson, Arizona on April 9, 2022. Researchers at Arizona State University in Tempe are evaluating a small, lightweight, efficient 3D imaging sensor designed for weather forecasting on consecutive balloon flights made possible by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. Called CubeSounder, the innovation could benefit future balloon flights and CubeSats by enabling state-of-the-art atmospheric sounding capabilities – a process in which sensors probe the sky vertically for details on temperature, moisture, and water vapor, revealing subtle changes in the Earth’s atmosphere.