The 380 kg sampler, developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), was flown at 0400 hrs at the balloon facility of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, as part of ISRO's geosphere-biosphere-programme.

The cryogenic sampler comprised 16 cryo probes and was lifted by a 1,50,000 cubic metre balloon to a predetermined altitude of 37 km, ISRO said, in a press release here. The cryogenic probes were commanded from the ground to collect the ambient samples at various altitudes during both the ascent and descent phase of the balloon flight, it said.

India is among the few countries to develop and employ a sophisticated instrument like cryogenic sampler that enables measurement of most of the ozone depleting substances,covered under the Montreal protocol to which India is a signatory.

Though India's contribution towards ozone depleting substances, released into the atmosphere, is less than 0.1 per cent, the atmospheric dynamics are such that the abundance of these substances in the tropical region is an index of global ozone destructive potential. Hence the importance of these measurements, the release said. The release said the ISRO geosphere-biosphere programme is one of the leading programmes, which contributes by measuring of a number of ozone depleting substances including the vertical profiles.