IBEX (Infrared Balloon-borne EXperiment)

A balloon-borne remote sensing instrument, which measures the concentration of various key species involved in ozone depletion. It uses a Fourier transform spectrometer with two very sensitive detectors to simultaneously detect the molecules with very high sensitivity.

Balloon launched on: 7/29/2002 at 21:00
Launch site: Base di Lancio Luigi Broglio, Trapani, Sicily, Italy  
Balloon launched by: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI)
Balloon manufacturer/size/composition: Zero Pressure Balloon 800.000 m3
End of flight (L for landing time, W for last contact, otherwise termination time): 7/30/2002 at 17:00
Balloon flight duration (F: time at float only, otherwise total flight time in d:days / h:hours or m:minutes - ): 20 h
Landing site: In Sierra Nevada, Spain

• IFAC-FTS homepage Nello Carrara Institute of Applied Physics
• Infrared Balloon Experiment: improved instrumental configuration and assessment of instrument performance Applied Optics Vol. 45, Issue 5, pp. 1041-1051 (2006)
• MIPAS Ozone Validation by Stratospheric Balloon and Aircraft Measurements 2nd Workshop on the Atmospheric Chemistry Validation of ENVISAT, 2004
• The Validation of the Envisat Chemistry Instruments by Use of Stratospheric Balloons and Aircraft ENVISAT Validation Workshop (ESA SP-531). 9-13 December, Frascati, Italy
• Transmediterranean flights, in the edge of two centuries Advances in Space Research Volume 33, Issue 10, 2004, Pages 1594–1599
• Validation of MIPAS N2O Profiles by Stratospheric Balloon, Aircraft and Ground Based Measurements 2nd Workshop on the Atmospheric Chemistry Validation of ENVISAT, 2004