The National Balloon Facility, also known as the TIFR Balloon Facility, is a stratospheric-balloon launch base under the joint management of the

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) is a public deemed research university located in Mumbai, India that is dedicated to basic research in mathematics and the sciences. It is a Deemed University and works under the umbrella of the D ...

(TIFR) and the

Indian Space Research Organisation The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO; ) is the national space agency of India, headquartered in Bengaluru. It operates under the Department of Space (DOS) which is directly overseen by the Prime Minister of India, while the Chairman ...

(ISRO). This institute is located in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

near

Electronics Corporation of India Limited Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) ( ईलेक्ट्रॉनिक्स कॉर्पोरेशन ऑफ ईन्डिया लिमिटेड ( ) ) is a Public Sector Enterprise under the Department of Atomi ...

(ECIL). Being the only major balloon facility in the world close to the

geomagnetic equator Magnetic dip, dip angle, or magnetic inclination is the angle made with the horizontal by the Earth's magnetic field lines. This angle varies at different points on the Earth's surface. Positive values of inclination indicate that the magnetic fi ...

, this facility is extensively used by researchers from all over the world.

History

Ballooning activity in India was prompted by research into atmospheric exploration and cosmic ray studies. During the 1940s, Dr.

Homi J. Bhabha Homi Jehangir Bhabha, (30 October 1909 – 24 January 1966) was an Indian nuclear physicist, founding director, and professor of physics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). Colloquially known as "Father of Indian nuclear pro ...

of TIFR started sending balloons up to an altitude of 25 km to study secondary cosmic radiation. Due to unique geographic reasons

was selected for stratospheric balloon launches after various diplomatic meetings between US and Indian organisations to jointly launch balloons from Hyderabad. The first launch had support of Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory (AFCRL) and TIFR. The launches were carried out from two locations. US balloons were launched from

Begumpet Airport Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad, also known as Hyderabad Old Airport, is a civil enclave located in Begumpet. The airport is home to the Rajiv Gandhi Aviation Academy (RGAA), the Telangana State Aviation Academy and the Begumpet Air Force Statio ...

and Indian balloons from

Osmania University Osmania University is a collegiate public state university located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad in 1918 , He released a farman to establish OSMANIA UNIVERSITY on the day of 28 August 1918. It ...

Campus. The first balloon was launched on 2 February 1961. During the first stage of the facility's operation, forty balloons were launched. After five years all the facilities were consolidated at Osmania University and under management of

National Center for Atmospheric Research The US National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR ) is a US federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) managed by the nonprofit University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and funded by the National Science Foundatio ...

& TIFR and around 170 balloons were launched. After a few years with increasing demands for balloon flights, a relatively low population density and proximity to the geomagnetic equator, a permanent site at Hyderabad near ECIL was selected. However, due to rapid development this facility is today surrounded by several population settlements: by the

Cherlapally Central Jail Cherlapally Central Jail is a correctional facility in Cherlapally, Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The facility is located away from Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''d ...

in the east; Kamala Nagar in the west; and

Electronics Corporation of India Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) ( ईलेक्ट्रॉनिक्स कॉर्पोरेशन ऑफ ईन्डिया लिमिटेड ( ) ) is a Public_sector_undertakings_in_India#List_of_other_CPSEs ...

Ltd. in the south.

Activities

The campus contains a complete balloon manufacturing facility. The institute conducts balloon-based scientific experiments in X-ray and

Infrared Astronomy Infrared astronomy is a sub-discipline of astronomy which specializes in the observation and analysis of astronomical objects using infrared (IR) radiation. The wavelength of infrared light ranges from 0.75 to 300 micrometers, and falls in betwee ...

, and in

Aeronomy Aeronomy is the scientific study of the upper atmosphere of the Earth and corresponding regions of the atmospheres of other planets. It is a branch of both atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric physics. Scientists specializing in aeronomy, known a ...

. Balloons from this facility are launched twice in a year, i.e. in summer and winter. NBF also regularly monitors and analyses local weather at

tropospheric The troposphere is the first and lowest layer of the atmosphere of the Earth, and contains 75% of the total mass of the planetary atmosphere, 99% of the total mass of water vapour and aerosols, and is where most weather phenomena occur. From ...

and

stratospheric The stratosphere () is the second layer of the atmosphere of the Earth, located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere. The stratosphere is an atmospheric layer composed of stratified temperature layers, with the warm layers of air hi ...

altitudes, required for making decisions about balloon launches. Under the High Altitude Balloon Development Project, a 61,000m³ indigenously developed balloon penetrated into the

Mesosphere The mesosphere (; ) is the third layer of the atmosphere, directly above the stratosphere and directly below the thermosphere. In the mesosphere, temperature decreases as altitude increases. This characteristic is used to define its limits: it ...

on 7 January 2014, for the first time in India. Until that time, only balloons from USA and Japan had accomplished this feat.HAA Records
/ref>

References

External links

* {{Research institutes in Telangana Research institutes in Hyderabad, India Atmospheric sciences Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Atmospheric sounding 1961 establishments in Andhra Pradesh Research institutes established in 1961

History

Activities

See also

References

External links