Atmospheric research is one of the strongholds of IIST, with a fully owned and dedicated research facility at PCO. The observatory is one of its kind in the country, with provisions for balloon-borne measurements of the vertical profile of ozone along with meteorological parameters from near-surface to stratosphere (35 km). As part of this study, coordinated monthly launches are undertaken at four sites.

Tethered balloons for testing small payloads up to 1 km altitude

Tethered balloons of volume 9.0 m3capable of carrying 1.0-3.0 kg payload weight up to an altitude of about 1 km are also available for conducting various scientific experiments

Balloon launch from IIST-PCO

Tethered balloon