Next generation air analysis instrument Orbion completes first deployment

and the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR) at the University of Helsinki have successfully completed a two-month deployment o, the next-generation air analysis instrument, at CERN's CLOUD chamber, one of the most demanding atmospheric research environments in the world. 

The campaign achieved 99.97 percent uptime with zero maintenance, accumulating over 1,400 hours of continuous operation and recording more than 150,000 mass-spectrometry files of airborne chemicals.

A Mission That Exceeded Expectations

Throughout the campaign, Orbion logged data around the clock without a single maintenance intervention and hence validating Karsa's design philosophy of building instrumentation rugged enough for truly autonomous deployment.

“I was very happy with the instrument and the data. It is the easiest system I have ever worked with,” said Dr. University Researcher at INAR.

The resulting dataset represents a comprehensive chemical portrait of atmospheric nucleation processes under controlled conditions, giving INAR and CLOUD researchers a rich foundation for further analysis and modelling.

What the Results Mean for Atmospheric Science 

Orbion's performance at CLOUD demonstrates that broad-spectrum, high-sensitivity molecular measurement can now be achieved without the operational burden traditionally associated with such instruments. The data collected will support ongoing efforts to understand how trace gases transform into particles that influence cloud formation, climate, and air quality worldwide.

"Presenting the results of Finnish innovation to the world's leading atmospheric research groups is a testament to our collaborative success," said Professor , INAR, University of Helsinki. "This campaign highlights the potential of Orbion to revolutionize how we study atmospheric processes."

"Orbion's breadth and streamlined analysis pipeline will enable us to map those interactions more completely and much faster than before," said Dr. , co-PI at the CLOUD experiment and Academy Research Fellow at INAR, University of Helsinki.

Looking Ahead 

The success of this campaign reinforces the potential for deploying Orbion across a range of environments — from atmospheric research stations to urban air quality monitoring — where continuous, low-maintenance operation is essential.

"Orbion is the culmination of years spent building a universal detector without sacrificing precision for coverage and making it rugged enough for continuous, autonomous operation," said , Chief Product Officer at Karsa Oy. "This campaign proved it in some of the most rigorous conditions imaginable."

Karsa and INAR will continue their collaboration to analyze the campaign dataset and explore further deployments of Orbion in upcoming research programs