Microballoon
A backpack-sized, reusable stratospheric balloon that launches in minutes and holds position at 40,000 to 75,000 feet to image the ground below.
Why it matters
Balloons can loiter over one spot, such as an active wildfire, far longer than a plane and much closer than a satellite, at a fraction of the cost.
How the technology works
Urban Sky launches the balloon in under five minutes and steers it by changing altitude to catch different winds. It carries color, visible and near-infrared, or long-wave infrared (thermal) sensors and sends data down in real time, then is recovered for the next flight.
Payload reported more than 330 missions by early 2025.
Sources
Updated Oct 22, 2026 · How we source facts · Suggest a correction