Streamlining High-Altitude Ballooning Missions: From Payload, to Launch, to Flight

Abstract

Building upon the success of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology's (Caltech) Innovation to Flight (i2F) 2017 Zephyrus Missions, the i2F team has continued making high-altitude balloon (HAB) flights more affordable, reusable, and easier to perform by users of all HAB experience levels. With the creation of the automatic HAB launcher Talos, the i2F team has taken what was once a 15+ person job of launching a 5.44 kg (12 lb) payload via a 3000 g (3 m diameter at launch) latex HAB and has reduced it to a single-person task. Furthermore, the time from arrival at the launch site to launching a payload via Talos is still under one hour. The majority of that time is consumed by the inflation of the balloon. The i2F team has additionally overhauled the Zephyrus avionics and communications systems, which are now able to support two-way communications with the ground station while hosting several experiments. This is contained within a 1.2U CubeSat form-factor. The team has additionally designed and built two antenna tracking units for use during operations. This system can uplink and downlink data at a range tested to 160 km (100 miles). The 2018 project campaign for the updated Zephyrus flight vehicle, the Talos automatic HAB launcher, and the long-range two-way telemetry system, was constructed and tested within a span of 10 weeks and on a materials budget of less than $10,000.