Control System for a Balloon-Borne Tracking and Pointing Experiment

Abstract

High-altitude balloons offer relatively low-cost, low-vibration platforms to host, in a “near space” environment, experimental versions of payloads eventually destined for space-based applications. The High-Altitude Balloon Experiment (HABE) is such an experiment, which will be hosted by a single-cell, scientific balloon at an altitude of 26km. The HABE mission is to acquire supporting data, validate enabling technologies, and resolve critical acquisition, tracking, and pointing (ATP) and Fire Control (FC) issues in support of future space- and air-based precision pointing systems.