St Helena Government (SHG), in conjunction with the St Helena National Trust (SHNT), would like to advise the public of an upcoming trial being undertaken by WindBorne Systems.
WindBorne Systems is expanding its global weather balloon constellation into the South Atlantic and has selected High Knoll Fort as the location for a new trial launch site. Situated approximately halfway between South America and Africa, St Helena occupies a strategically important location in a region where upper-air weather observations have historically been extremely limited. Weather balloon launches from the island will help close one of the last major gaps in global atmospheric data coverage, contributing to improved weather forecasting across the southern hemisphere and the tropical Atlantic.
Should the trial prove successful, WindBorne Systems intends to establish a permanent launch site on St Helena. In addition to strengthening global weather forecasting capabilities, a permanent presence on the island would create opportunities for part-time employment and ongoing site maintenance.
The trial programme will involve the launch of two to three weather balloons per day from Thursday 25 June to Friday 3 July, between 10:00 and 13:00. Members of the public are welcome to observe the daily launches from High Knoll Fort.
WindBorne representatives will also be delivering a public presentation next week, providing an overview of the company, its operations, and the objectives of the St Helena trial. Further details regarding the presentation will be announced shortly.
Members of the public seeking further information are invited to contact the Trade and Investment Team via email at invest@sainthelena.gov.sh or Mike Ormrod, Head of Trade and Investment on telephone +290 22470.
Notes to Editors
WindBorne Systems operates the world’s largest constellation of weather balloons and collects more in-situ atmospheric observations than any single governmental weather agency. With approximately 600 balloons airborne at any given time, accumulating around 14,400 flight hours each day, atmospheric data collected is used to train and power advanced forecasting models capable of predicting weather conditions across the globe, including kilometre-scale forecasts over the continental United States. These forecasts are refreshed hourly and can project weather patterns up to 15 days in advance.
The company is also committed to environmental sustainability and operates as a plastic-negative organisation.
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