A team from Otago University’s Department of Physics has won a NZ$10.5m government (US$6.2m) grant to build a replacement for the doomed NASA EOS-Aura climate satellite.
Aura, launched in 2004 with as five-year design life, is rapidly running out of fuel and will likely burn up in 2026. The mission’s Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instruments are vital for monitoring ozone levels and air quality, but no direct replacement is currently planned by NASA due to budgetary constraints.
“The loss of this data will reduce the accuracy of global weather forecasts, causing significant financial, infrastructure, and human losses. Imagine the effects of Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle without the warnings we receive,” says Professor Harald Schwefel, of Otago’s Department of Physics.
Swhwefel’s team has proposed replacing the satellite with a low-cost 3D printed photonics-based receiver they will send into space on high altitude balloons.
“Integrating New Zealand’s capabilities in quantum technology and atmospheric science with innovations in the New Zealand aerospace industry, our device will cost less, be more compact, more energy-efficient, and detect a wide range of atmospheric gases,” says Schwefel.
This programme will also use the information on atmospheric gases to improve forecasts of extreme weather events, create opportunities for a new commercial enterprise, new precision engineering outputs, and establish a robust transfer programme to weather forecasters and other users which will ensure those most affected by extreme weather to reap the benefits.
Analysts say the ambitious project represents a pragmatic pivot in climate monitoring. The Aura satellite is thought to have cost around US$800m to develop and launch, over 100 times the cost of a balloon instrument.
High-altitude balloons operate in the stratosphere (typically 18-37 km altitude), offering persistent, near-space observation at a fraction of satellite complexity. Unlike low-Earth orbit satellites like Aura (705 km altitude), which provide global snapshots every 1 to 2 days, balloons can loiter over specific regions for weeks or months, enabling real-time, high-resolution data collection. The Otago team’s 3D-printed photonics receiver leverages quantum technology for compact, energy-efficient detection of atmospheric gases such as ozone, NO2, aerosols, potentially matching or exceeding Aura’s spectroscopic capabilities in targeted areas.
Balloons do face weather issues and limited endurance, but can be very effective “gap fillers” when reliable sources such as Aura shut down.
More importantly, the initiative signals a shift towards “affordable space” in university research, similar to CubeSat initiatives, with one analyst saying it was a “reinvention of how we observe our planet”.
However, the high-altitude balloon sector remains nascent, with most players being private startups (for example, Urban Sky, Near Space Labs, Space Perspective). Dedicated, publicly listed companies focused solely on balloon technology are rare, as the technology is often a niche within broader aerospace or defence firms.
Based on current market data (as of September 2025), no major stock exchange lists a company exclusively dedicated to HABs in the space sector. The closest is World View Enterprises, which develops stratospheric balloons (Stratollite platforms) for remote sensing, defence, and eventual space tourism. In March 2023, it announced a $350 million SPAC merger with Leo Holdings Corp. II (NYSE: LHLA), aiming to list under ticker “WV” by Q2 2023. The deal was terminated in November 2023 due to unfavorable market conditions and high investor redemptions, common in the 2023 SPAC downturn. World View remains privately held, bolstered by a $25 million Series B extension round in Q3 2024, supporting its ongoing operations in Earth observation, defence applications, and tourism development.
