Research

RAAVEN in air after clearing the RAPCAT

Project ICECHIP

The In-situ Collaborative Experiment for the Collection of Hail In the Plains (ICECHIP) project is an NSF-funded collaborative effort with ATOC, ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø's Aerospace Department, NCAR and more than a dozen other institutions to study hail patterns.Ìý

CU team deploys multiple drones in tornado study

Project TORUS

Project TORUS–or Targeted Observation by Radars and UAS of Supercells–is a two-year partnership between ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (which is leading the work), Texas Tech University, the University of Oklahoma and the National Severe Storms Laboratory.Ìý

Read more:ÌýCU team deploys multiple drones in tornado study

UAE

Expanding internationally to assist UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Sciences

IRISS has traveled to Abu Dhabi, UAE to screen the territory for future project operations. The UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement ScienceÌýisÌýan international research initiative designed to stimulate and promote scientific advancement and development of new technology. With thisÌýcollaboration, IRISS will establish a prototype Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) platform for rainfall enhancement activities. In addition, the project plans for theÌýdevelopment of new technology that will help optimize traditional seeding operations.Ìý

Photo captured by: Cory Dixon |ÌýIRISSÌýChief TechnologistÌý

ATOMiC

ATOMiC

ATOMIC is a project with international collaboration that is intending to perform multi-faceted observations of Sea-Atmosphere Interactions in the formation of Atlantic Trade Wind Mesoscale Systems

MOSAiC

MOSAiC Project

Project Multidisciplinary-drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) is a collaborative effort with CIRES, NOAA, and CU-Boulder’s Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Aerospace departments. This project will develop and deploy unmanned aircraft to operate at the farthest northern reaches of the planet to make critically needed measurements on the Arctic atmosphere and sea ice.

MURI Balloon Prep

HYFLITS Project

The multidisciplinaryÌýHYFLITS teamÌýis composed of experts in the fields of in-situ atmospheric measurements and analysis, atmospheric modeling and forecasting, and aerothermodynamics and aero-optical modeling. Our goal is to ask and resolve questions related to how future hypersonic vehicle designs can account for the effects of ambient atmospheric turbulence and particles in the middle stratosphere.

The University of Colorado, Boulder created the Grand Challenge to cultivate partnerships with government and industry to pursue solutions for pressing challenges facing our world today. The Integrated Remote and In Situ Sensing (IRISS) initiative is a pillar of the ºÚÁÏÉçÇøÍø Grand Challenge and provides 4D measurement capabilities to study phenomena at a distance and from within. IRISS gathers data from the natural world using ground sensors, unmanned aircraft, spacecraft, and other sensor systems. This information can be used to reveal valuable insight about myriad events like climate fluctuations, drought conditions, and forest dieback.

Recent Projects
In-situ Collaborative Experiment for the Collection of Hail In the Plains (ICECHIP)

For six weeks during the summer of 2025, IRISS collaborated with more than a dozen other institutions to study the patterns and effects of hail in the midwest.

Advancing Understanding of Weather in Heavily Populated Coastal Areas

IRISS has been deploying robotic aircraft around coastal cities to collect information on temperature, winds, humidity, and atmospheric particulate matter.

WMO-DC - The World Meteorological Organization Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Demonstration Campaign
TORUS - The TORUS Project improves the conceptual model of supercells by explicating the relationship of storm-generated boundaries and coherent structures within storm outflow to the generation/amplification of near-surface rotation

Project Targeted Observations by Radars and UAS of Supercells (TORUS) aimed to improve the conceptual model of supercells. Over the course of two spring seasons (2019 + 2021) and with 42 scheduled days of coordinated deployments, the TORUS team covered about ~1,300,000 km in pursuit of storm research.Ìý

HYFLITS - Our goal is to ask and resolve questions related to how future hypersonic vehicle designs can account for the effects of ambient atmospheric turbulence and particles in the middle stratosphere

Project Hypersonic FLight in the Turbulent Stratosphere is composed of a multidisciplinary team of experts in the fields of in-situ atmospheric measurements and analysis, atmospheric modeling and forecasting, and aerothermodynamics and aero-optical modeling. Our goal is to ask and resolve questions related to how future hypersonic vehicle designs can account for the effects of ambient atmospheric turbulence and particles in the middle stratosphere.

Project Multidisciplinary-drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) is a collaborative effort with CIRES, NOAA, and CU-Boulder’s Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Aerospace departments. This project will develop and deploy unmanned aircraft to operate at the farthest northern reaches of the planet to make critically needed measurements on the Arctic atmosphere and sea ice.

UAEREP - Targeted Observation and Seeding using Autonomous Unmanned Aircraft Systems project is sensing clouds to identify potential for rain enhancement

Working with the UAE Research Program for Rain Enhancement Science, our team will use UAS to advance the effectiveness and efficiency of cloud seeding programs.ÌýAdditionally, improved technology, as well as automation of cloud seeding operationsÌýwhile lowering the operational footprintÌýwill furtherÌýoptimize the productivityÌýof cloud seeding programs.Ìý

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