NORTHERN ONTARIO: Watch a stratospheric balloon launch

One of the final stratospheric balloon launches of the season was a rare afternoon event. 

Normally the massive balloons are launched early in the morning, but last week's launch of the Nimbus 4 floated up around 2 p.m. Tuesday and was expected to drift until 9 a.m. the next day.

Each balloon launch carries instruments documenting different features in the atmosphere, testing new technology or conducting scientific experiments. The data will help inform scientific research on global warming and climate change-related things.

The balloons are launched from the Victor M. Power Airport in Timmins where there is a stratospheric balloon base, which is a partnership between the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and the French space agency.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the collaboration between the agencies and work is ongoing to renew the contract for another decade. Recently approved renovations at the facility will allow scientists to have more room to work on the payloads and potentially attract new partners.