HELIKITES FOR SCIENCE
Helikites are tethered balloon aerostats that have been used in various scientific and meteorological applications since their invention in 1993.
Their popularity with scientists is due to their ability to cope with difficult weather conditions despite being small, economical, and very simple to use. Before Helikites, scientists were forced to use one of two options: kites that came down when there was no wind, or very expensive balloons that were challenging to use and could not fly in high winds.
Helikites are used by university departments, atmospheric sciences programs, and commercial science organisations. They have opened up entirely new fields of research and gathered data never before collected, thereby expanding human knowledge.
Atmospheric Weather and Climate Change Monitoring
Helikites allow scientists to easily observe and monitor the atmosphere up to cloud level from land or sea. This makes it possible to gather numerous measurements which were previously unattainable, thus improving our knowledge of atmosphere, weather, and climate change.
Aerial Biology
Recently, there has been a great deal of interest in lifting insect nets to study aerial entomology using small Helikites. Helikites can be used anytime, anywhere for this and can even take samples from treetops. This could potentially open up an entirely new area of scientific study.
