BeCOOL: A Balloon-Borne Microlidar System Designed for Cirrus and Convective Overshoot Monitoring

Abstract

A balloon-borne microlidar has been built at LATMOS to monitor cirrus optical properties and convective overshoot topography during long duration flights in the lower tropical stratosphere. Weighting less than 7 kg in a reduced volume and consuming less than 10 W, it will be involved in the CNES-Strateole2 campaign. This instrument paves the way to the use of microlidar technology for planetary missions.