A balloon-borne instrument called HIWIND was launched from New Zealand to observe thermospheric winds in the mid-latitudes. The observed winds were compared with TIEGCM model simulations and were found to be much larger than the simulated results. Ionospheric density profiles from observations were compared with simulations, as well, and found to have lower peak heights, which indicates the winds in the real world are larger than the simulated winds.
HIWIND at the Wanaka Airport before launch on April 17. 2025. The super-pressure balloon was nearly fully inflated. HIWIND is held by the launch vehicle.