Meteomatics Unveils Strato, the World's First Drone to Reach the Stratosphere at 34,000+ Feet

The Weather Intelligence Firm Offers Alternative to Traditional Radiosonde Technology, Expanding Drone Program

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, October 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Meteomatics, the weather intelligence and technology company that enables the world’s leading companies to accurately forecast the weather’s impact on business, has unveiled its next-generation Meteodrone, dubbed Strato. The multicopter drone is the first to collect a vertical profile of the atmosphere from the lower atmosphere to the stratosphere at any location and time, reaching a record altitude of 34,245 feet (10,438 meters). Historically observed only by traditional radiosondes, Strato flies higher than even commercial helicopters can, collecting data on variables like temperature, humidity, pressure, and wind speed at successive altitudes from the surface up.

Despite major advancements in weather observation, national measurement networks still don’t consistently capture what's happening in the upper troposphere. This is where jet streams take shape and where sudden shifts in wind and temperature can determine whether a flight path is clear or if a launch window has closed. Weather balloons remain the primary way to observe this altitude, but they go up on a fixed schedule a couple of times, so operators can’t adapt measurements in the face of incoming events, resulting in calls often being made without a current, location-specific read on conditions. This lack of visibility affects flight planning for commercial and defense aviation, scheduling for aerospace and launch operators, and any mission that depends on constantly changing weather conditions.

Strato is designed to close that gap, serving as a reusable alternative to the radiosonde that has defined atmospheric sounding for nearly a century. The drone technology can launch almost 20 feet higher than the classic Meteodrone, reach a specific location, and return ready to launch again right after landing. This gives businesses real-time insight into atmospheric conditions integral to their strategies, strengthening forecasts in the stratosphere and at any targeted location during ascent and descent.

“Ten years ago, a drone that effectively flew into the stratosphere to collect weather data was a pipe dream. Today, we’ve made it a reality,” said Dr. Martin Fengler, CEO of Meteomatics. "The jet stream is basically the highway that every weather system travels on in the Northern Hemisphere, west to east. For the aviation industry, accurate insights into this area are integral not only to business success, but to consumer lives. If the data isn't located correctly relative to the jet stream, the forecast won't be reliable either. With Strato, we are looking to fill a century-old blind spot for these businesses globally.”

To operate reliably at these altitudes, Strato was engineered to withstand sustained winds up to 80 mph with an aerodynamic body and active wind-mode controls that lets it orient itself into headwinds. A rain-resistant, waterproof design supports operation in wet conditions, and an integrated active de-icing system automatically heats the propellers when it detects icing conditions. Strato provides real-time telemetry, including altitude, wind, temperature, and icing alerts, to the operator throughout flight.

The data collected by Strato supplements Meteomatics’ high-resolution weather models, including US1k and Euro1k. It joins Meteomatics original Meteodrones, Meteodrone Tropo, as part of the company’s proprietary aircraft built for improved weather forecasts. Together, these technologies complement each other by expanding the scope and accuracy of atmospheric data collection and introducing a more sustainable and accurate approach to weather forecasting.

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About Meteomatics

Meteomatics is a weather intelligence and technology company that enables precision forecasts of the weather’s impact on businesses anywhere in the world at any time. More than 700 companies, including Tesla, CVS Health, Swiss Re, McCain, NASA, NOAA, Honda, Airbus, Stellantis and Axpo Power, rely on Meteomatics for weather data that can significantly impact everything from energy savings and logistics to process automation and risk management to product design. The company’s robust approach to weather data collection, modeling, visualization and delivery rivals even the most sophisticated government and commercial services. Its autonomous Meteodrone, paired with high-resolution weather models, enables granular visibility (down to a single square km) into weather phenomena that traditional weather sensing technology does not regularly or accurately observe. Meteomatics is headquartered in Switzerland, with local operations in the U.S. (New York City), the UK, Germany (Berlin), Norway (Oslo) and Spain.

Kieran Powell
Meteomatics
kieran.powell@channelvmedia.com