The MANTRA project involved a series of high-altitude balloon flights to investigate changes in the concentrations of mid-latitude stratospheric ozone, and of constituents that play a role in ozone chemistry. Four balloons were launched from Vanscoy, Saskatchewan, in August 1998, August 2000, September 2002, and September 2004. Each carried a payload of instruments to measure vertical concentration profiles of stratospheric trace gases, and made observations from a float altitude of about 35 km for one day. Several of these instruments were flown 15-20 years ago and thus provide a link to historical data predating the onset of mid-latitude ozone loss.

The MANTRA mission was a collaborative effort between scientists in the Atmospheric Physics Group at the University of Toronto, the Meteorological Service of Canada, York University, the University of Waterloo, the University of Denver, and the Service d'Aeronomie of the Centre National de la Recherche. Scientific Instrumentation Limited (SIL) of Saskatoon provided payload and launch support.

All MANTRA flights were supported by the Canadian Space Agency (under the First and Second Small Payloads Programs) and by the Meteorological Service of Canada. In addition, MANTRA 1998 received support from the Centre for Research in Earth and Space Technology, while MANTRA 2002/2004 is also supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.