Business · Companies · 2 hrs ago
US Air Force secures access to data from WindBorne weather balloons
The US Air Force can buy atmospheric data from WindBorne Systems under an agreement worth up to $49 million.
The California company operates about 700 autonomous balloons worldwide, collecting measurements of the atmosphere.
The Air Force can request data for particular places and times rather than buying a fixed amount upfront, and it has ordered about $1.7 million so far.
The measurements can support weather forecasting, including AI systems that use observed conditions to predict what may happen.
WindBorne says its WeatherMesh 6 system performs better than a traditional forecasting approach, but independent comparisons are needed to verify that claim.
Future spending will depend on military needs, and the agreement also supports the balloon network's growth and research to improve its equipment and performance.
The US Air Force has secured access to atmospheric measurements collected by WindBorne Systems’ autonomous weather balloons.
The agreement has a potential value of $49 million, but the military has ordered about $1.7 million in data so far.
WindBorne operates about 700 balloons that collect atmospheric measurements worldwide.
The Air Force can request data for particular locations and periods rather than buying a fixed quantity upfront.
The contract was awarded without competing bids, according to the article.
- Who
- The US Air Force and WindBorne Systems, a California startup.
- What
- The Air Force can purchase atmospheric measurements collected by WindBorne’s autonomous balloons under an agreement worth up to $49 million.
- When
- The agreement’s date is not stated. WindBorne guided an unpowered flight system into a typhoon’s eye in August 2026.
- Where
- The balloons collect measurements worldwide.
- Why
- The Air Force can request atmospheric data for particular locations and periods to meet its operational needs.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
WindBorne became the first company to guide an unpowered flight system into a typhoon’s eye and collect data there.
The US Air Force agreement gave the military access to purchase measurements for requested locations and periods.
- Maximum contract value
- $49 million
- Orders placed so far
- About $1.7 million
- Balloon fleet
- About 700 balloons
- Company base
- California
- Contract bidding
- Awarded without competing bids
1 source
What people are saying
That’s a pretty novel step, and the two ingredients for that are one, having good wind and weather models, and knowing how to navigate them; and two, having a large enough constellation that you have balloons in the right places
It’s one of the first times that a deep-learning model was used for actual operational decisions.
This is largely a vehicle through which continued growth of the constellation can be supported, as well as some work on research and development to continue to improve the hardware and performance of the balloons
for this capability of collecting global data, we were the only company able to provide it in the way that met their needs for these operations.