The American startup Near Space Labs has implemented a network of high-tech balloons with robotic cameras that allow for high-resolution images to analyze risks in disaster zones. This is reported by Space.
The balloons operate at an altitude of 18−26 km, twice as high as conventional aircraft, but lower than satellites. Each flight covers up to 1 000 square kilometers of territory — approximately as much as the five boroughs of New York occupy. This allows creating detailed maps of disaster zones in a matter of hours and significantly speeds up the process of assessing losses.
According to Near Space Labs CEO Remy Matevosyan, the data obtained allows insurance companies to respond to emergencies many times faster: «We can provide data after a disaster in days, not months, as it was before. Our balloons do the work that would be required by 800 000 drones».
Recall — earlier, researchers found that magnetic tornadoes on Jupiter, which arise due to the friction of magnetic fields in its atmosphere, cause the formation of giant anticyclones the size of the Earth. These storms are visible only in ultraviolet light and are accompanied by powerful magnetic storms.