EXTON, PA — Meteomatics has unveiled its Meteoglider, a groundbreaking innovation poised to revolutionize weather forecasting by providing a cost-effective and sustainable alternative for atmospheric data collection. Developed following the company’s acquisition of R2Home, the Meteoglider enables the recovery and reuse of radiosondes, traditionally single-use instruments reliant on weather balloons.
Weather balloons, used for nearly a century to gather critical atmospheric data, carry radiosondes to altitudes of around 100,000 feet. However, of the 600,000 radiosondes launched annually, only 20% are recovered, with less than 1% reused, leading to significant financial and environmental waste. The Meteoglider, a lightweight, half-pound foam glider equipped with a radiosonde and an advanced guidance system, addresses these challenges by enabling retrieval and reuse.
“Radiosondes offer essential data for companies to power weather forecasts, climate models and more, but the astronomical economic and environmental cost is not sustainable as these radiosondes are carried by weather balloons and never recovered,” said Martin Fengler, CEO of Meteomatics. “The Meteoglider’s ability to reuse these radiosondes at scale for the first time is a game changer in the weather industry and will open up numerous possibilities for the future of weather forecasting.”
The innovative Meteoglider can achieve stable flight at record-breaking altitudes of over 110,000 feet and return to its launch site or a designated GPS location in as little as 25 minutes, traveling at speeds of 450+ feet per second. Capable of being reused up to 50 times, it collects the same high-quality atmospheric data as traditional radiosondes and provides additional weather data upon descent, delivering unparalleled insights for meteorological models.
The acquisition of R2Home and its reusable radiosonde technology played a crucial role in the development of the Meteoglider. R2Home, founded in 2019 by Yohan Hadji, aimed to reduce the environmental and financial impact of traditional weather balloons. Hadji has joined Meteomatics to lead ongoing development and manufacturing of the Meteoglider.
“The Meteoglider paves the way for the recovery and reuse of radiosondes. It moves the industry towards greater efficiency and less waste in the atmospheric measurement that’s essential to the entire meteorology chain– from risk warning to climatology,” noted Bruno Piguet, Head of High-Altitude Observation at Meteo-France.
The Meteoglider complements Meteomatics’ existing weather technology, including its Meteodrones, which are autonomous drones able to collect atmospheric data up to 20,000 feet. Together, these systems address gaps in data collection for localized weather phenomena such as wind, hail, and storms. By combining sustainability with advanced precision, Meteomatics continues to lead innovation in meteorology and climate science.
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