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Have you seen a Weather Balloons and High Altitude Balloons in these data products?

  • January 6, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 28 views

eroesler

Hi, I'd like to see a weather balloon launch from the National Weather Service. I reached out to them on location and times of their launch, and I found Planet.com as a potential resource to be able to know if this action is possible to see from space. I launch balloons professionally and recreationally, and before subscribing in a paid way to Planet.com, I'd like to see if this is even possible, and the Planet Help Desk recommended I reach out to the community to see if anyone here has had any luck seeing a weather balloon. 

I was on the browser to find the lat/lon and time of launches, but the scene is low resolution, poor imagery, and I cannot add a day of a launch to the cart for order. I attached a screen shot of what it looks like to me. Here's the information from NWS and ABQ, too. Thank you for your help troubleshooting this scene.

"Balloons are generally launched just after 17:00Z and 23:00Z, but theoretically can be launched during a 90 min period (17:00Z to 18:30Z and 23:00Z to 00:30Z). All balloons are launched manually at our WFO located next to the Sunport. Lat/Lon: 35.038107, -106.622813"

 

I’m adding some information from the Help Desk : 

 

  • Timing vs. launch window
    • PlanetScope Doves are in sun‑synchronous orbits and typically pass around 10:30 local solar time ± ~30 minutes, so they do not continuously image and are unlikely to coincide with your 17:00Z / 23:00Z launch windows.
    • SkySat is tasked: you must schedule a collection in advance for a specific time and area, and the satellites are not always overhead; there is no guarantee of a pass exactly during your 90‑minute launch window.[SkySat overview]
With the sun-synchronous orbits, it sounds like there could be a change of catching the launch at 17:00Z, given local solar time is -7:00Z.  I am curious if the high resolution imagery *ever* sees a balloon launch.  They are launched every day,  so could there be a chance?   Am I understanding this correctly? Even if there is some graininess, that's okay, as long as there is some confirmation optically of a balloon.
 

1 reply

elyhienrich
Community Manager 🌎
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  • Community Manager 🌎
  • January 8, 2026

Hi ​@eroesler 

As you await other community members responses, I thought I would share this Planet Pulse article that features a section that may be of interest to you: How we tracked the Chinese balloon in satellite data​​​​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‌‍‍‌‌‍‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌​‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍​‍​‍​​‍​‍‌‍‍​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌‍​‍​‍​‍‍​‍​‍​‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‌​​‍‌‍‌‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‌​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍‌‍‍​‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌​​‌‍​​‍​‌‌​‌​‌‍​‍​​‍​‍​​‍‌‌‍​‌​​‌‌‍‌‍‌‍​​‍‌​‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‌‍​‌‌​‍‌‌‍​‍​​​​​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‌‍‌​​‍‌​​‌​‍‌​​​‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍​​‌​‌‌​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍​‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‍‌​‌‌​​‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍‌‍‌‍​‍​​​‌​​‌‌‍​‌‍​‌​‌​‌‍‌‍​‌‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍‍​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‌‍‌​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍‌‍‌‍​‍​​​‌​​‌‌‍​‌‍​‌​‌​‌‍‌‍​‌‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌​​​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​​‌‍​‍‌‍​‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌‍​​‌​‍‌‌​​‍‌​‌‍‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌‍‌​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌​​‌‍​​‍​‌‌​‌​‌‍​‍​​‍​‍​​‍‌‌‍​‌​​‌‌‍‌‍‌‍​​‍‌​‌​‌‍​‌‌‍‌‍​‌‌​‍‌‌‍​‍​​​​​‌‍‌‌​‍‌‌‍‌​​‍‌​​‌​‍‌​​​‌‍‌‍‌‍‌‍​​‌​‌‌​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍​‍‌‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‍‌‌​‌‌​​‌‍‌​‌‌​​‍‌‍‌​​‌‍​‌‌‌​‌‍‍​​‌‌‍​‍‌‍‌‍‌​‌‍‌​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍‌‍‌‍​‍​​​‌​​‌‌‍​‌‍​‌​‌​‌‍‌‍​‌‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‍​‌‍‍​‌‍‍‌‌‍​‌‍‌​‌​‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍‌​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍‌‍‌‍​‍​​​‌​​‌‌‍​‌‍​‌​‌​‌‍‌‍​‌‌‍‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌​​​​‍‌‌​​‍​​‍​‍‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‍‍‌‌​‌‍‌‌‌‍​‌‌​​‍​‍‌‌