A spectroscopic setup designed for high resolution spectroscopy of jet cooled molecules is described. The primary features of the new setup are an exceedingly low gas consumption and a high detection efficiency, which are achieved by optimizing the detection geometry of the time gated fluorescence in combination with a special piezo valve. This makes the setup particularly suitable for studying expensive gases that come in small supply. The performance of the setup is demonstrated on the first A(2)B(2) <-- X(2)A(1) rovibronic transitions of (NO2)-N-15-O-16 measured in a. jet. A rotational analysis is given for a couple of different bands. In addition, an exceptionally strong band with band origin at around 14 8 50 cm(-1) is reported that is of interest particularly for atmospheric applications. The (NO2)-N-15-O-16 gas consumption is as low as 0.025 mg or 0.5 mumol/cm(-1) spectral range. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.