CASEY, Ill. - s4story -- Midwest Stratospheric Data Systems (MSDS), a participant in the NASA GLOBE Program, is currently contributing fixed ground-based atmospheric data from its operations in Casey, Illinois.

The team is providing ongoing surface-level observations — including temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, and related atmospheric measurements — directly to the GLOBE database. These fixed ground contributions deliver reliable, localized Midwest data that helps build a more complete picture of regional weather patterns and long-term environmental trends within the global GLOBE network.

This ground-based work forms the foundation of MSDS's GLOBE participation and is now being expanded through high-altitude balloon missions. The upcoming X2Griffon payload launch, scheduled for September 19, 2026, from Casey, Illinois, will add critical vertical atmospheric profiles (temperature, moisture, wind shear, and stability layers) from the surface through the stratosphere — significantly enhancing the value of the ground data already being contributed.

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"All of our work — starting with steady ground observations and growing into stratospheric flights — is about feeding usable, transparent data into systems like GLOBE," said Jeremy David Higgs, CEO and Founder of Midwest Stratospheric Data Systems. "From rural Illinois, we're helping strengthen the global dataset while building toward more complete vertical atmospheric profiles that researchers and educators can actually use."

MSDS's approach to GLOBE participation emphasizes:

• Consistent, fixed ground-based data collection from the Midwest
• Full public release of data with rapid turnaround
• Expansion into high-altitude vertical profiling through lightweight, FAA-compliant balloon platforms
• Supporting citizen science and open environmental data principles

About Midwest Stratospheric Data Systems & NASA GLOBE

Midwest Stratospheric Data Systems (MSDS) is a federally registered aerospace research company focused on affordable, open high-altitude balloon platforms for atmospheric data collection. As a participant in the NASA GLOBE Program, MSDS joins thousands of students, teachers, and citizen scientists worldwide who collect and share environmental data to improve scientific understanding of the Earth system. MSDS is also a full member of the Stratospheric Ballooning Association and operates with a strong emphasis on safety, open data, and Midwest innovation.