<p>The weight of a balloon determines most of its specifications, though I'm not sure if they are generalized or specific to a manufacturer.  Looking at <a href="http://kaymontballoons.com/Weather_Forecasting.html">one supplier</a> we can get a feel for what you need.  For a 1 kg payload it looks like you'd want a minimum of a 1200g balloon.  According to the site linked, this 1200g balloon will have:</p>

<ul>
<li>6.0 ft diameter at launch</li>
<li>113 ft$^3$ volume at release</li>
<li>320 fpm ascent rate</li>
<li>28 ft diameter at burst</li>
<li>109,000 ft altitude at burst</li>
<li>1190 g free lift </li>
</ul>

<p>If you need 2kg of payload you'd need to size a bigger balloon.  In general your application is not different from the specs of a normal upper-air sounding launch, so you should be able to spec your balloons directly from suppliers of sounding balloons.  All of the balloons for a 1-2 kg payload should burst above 100,000 feet so it just a matter of picking a supplier and a balloon sized for your payload (per the manufacturer specifications).</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-17T14:55:50.963Z
what a pleasant surprise to see another one of Aviation SE out here! Thanks for the answer! BTW, in this instructable, it appears a 600g balloon was good enough to get p. high with roughly the same payload: http://www.instructables.com/id/My-Space-Balloon-Project-Stratohab-Success-High/?ALLSTEPS
shortstheory
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-17T14:57:26.997Z
Furthermore, the site seems to say it's OK to go for 600g to get to ~FL 750-900. http://kaymontballoons.com/Near_Space_Photography.html
shortstheory
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-17T14:58:35.667Z
And I'm getting a really good deal from an Indian supplier, PAWAN EXPORTS selling 2 600g balloons for Rs 3000 or $60,  so I guess I'll go on that route :)
shortstheory
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-17T14:58:51.683Z
@shortstheory good to know.  A 600g balloon will use less than half the helium of a 1200g balloon and be a more manageable launch.
casey
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-17T15:42:03.660Z
@shortstheory Good luck and it would be great if you post a comment with a blog/webpage link to the details of your balloon mission - i.e. photos, videos, measurements etc. would be nice to see. Also, if you get any more details/specs from the manufacturer, please post them as an answer here.
milancurcic
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-17T15:55:47.607Z
Thank you @IRO-bot. I'm a bit busy with high school till June 2015, but our balloon mission will take place shortly after that complete with all the documentation you would want to see!
shortstheory
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-20T13:11:32.153Z
@casey does a 600g weather balloon mean it can carry a 600g payload?
shortstheory
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-20T13:12:16.613Z
@shortstheory No, that is the weight of the balloon
casey
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-17T14:53:11.770Z
2014-10-17T14:53:11.770Z
casey
<p>I'm planning a high-altitude weather balloon project (to around 100000 feet, or 30 km) some time down the line to take video and pictures of near space altitudes and I have some questions I need to ask before doing so:</p>

<ol>
<li>What does the weight of a weather balloon mean such as 150 g, 500 g, 2000 g, etc mean?</li>
<li>What diameter of weather balloon do I need? I'm planning to take upto around 1-2 kg of payload consisting of cameras, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, GPS, parachute etc.</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-16T16:19:58.093Z
You may get some information here, but these questions are likely to be best answered by the balloon manufacturer.
milancurcic
<meteorology><weather-forecasting><radiosounding>
How do I interpret the specs of a weather balloon?
shortstheory
# How do I interpret the specs of a weather balloon?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-10-16)

I'm planning a high-altitude weather balloon project (to around 100000 feet, or 30 km) some time down the line to take video and pictures of near space altitudes and I have some questions I need to ask before doing so:

1. What does the weight of a weather balloon mean such as 150 g, 500 g, 2000 g, etc mean?
2. What diameter of weather balloon do I need? I'm planning to take upto around 1-2 kg of payload consisting of cameras, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, GPS, parachute etc.

**Tags:** meteorology, weather-forecasting, radiosounding

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: You may get some information here, but these questions are likely to be best answered by the balloon manufacturer.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-10-17. Score: 9 | Accepted answer

The weight of a balloon determines most of its specifications, though I'm not sure if they are generalized or specific to a manufacturer. Looking at [one supplier](http://kaymontballoons.com/Weather_Forecasting.html) we can get a feel for what you need. For a 1 kg payload it looks like you'd want a minimum of a 1200g balloon. According to the site linked, this 1200g balloon will have:

* 6.0 ft diameter at launch
* 113 ft$^3$ volume at release
* 320 fpm ascent rate
* 28 ft diameter at burst
* 109,000 ft altitude at burst
* 1190 g free lift

If you need 2kg of payload you'd need to size a bigger balloon. In general your application is not different from the specs of a normal upper-air sounding launch, so you should be able to spec your balloons directly from suppliers of sounding balloons. All of the balloons for a 1-2 kg payload should burst above 100,000 feet so it just a matter of picking a supplier and a balloon sized for your payload (per the manufacturer specifications).

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: what a pleasant surprise to see another one of Aviation SE out here! Thanks for the answer! BTW, in this instructable, it appears a 600g balloon was good enough to get p. high with roughly the same payload: http://www.instructables.com/id/My-Space-Balloon-Project-Stratohab-Success-High/?ALLSTEPS  
> **username_0**: Furthermore, the site seems to say it's OK to go for 600g to get to ~FL 750-900. http://kaymontballoons.com/Near_Space_Photography.html  
> **username_0**: And I'm getting a really good deal from an Indian supplier, PAWAN EXPORTS selling 2 600g balloons for Rs 3000 or $60,  so I guess I'll go on that route :)  
> **username_2**: @username_0 good to know.  A 600g balloon will use less than half the helium of a 1200g balloon and be a more manageable launch.  
> **username_1**: @username_0 Good luck and it would be great if you post a comment with a blog/webpage link to the details of your balloon mission - i.e. photos, videos, measurements etc. would be nice to see. Also, if you get any more details/specs from the manufacturer, please post them as an answer here.  
> **username_0**: Thank you @IRO-bot. I'm a bit busy with high school till June 2015, but our balloon mission will take place shortly after that complete with all the documentation you would want to see!  
> **username_0**: @username_2 does a 600g weather balloon mean it can carry a 600g payload?  
> **username_2**: @username_0 No, that is the weight of the balloon  

---

