Solar Powered High Altitude Balloon

Building from YUAA’s early history with high altitude balloons (HABs), a new team worked design, construct, and launch a high-altitude balloon, incorporating a solar power energy system and scientific payload, in 2018-2020.

The team successfully launch one balloon and tracked it during its flight. The balloon and payload were both lost at sea after drifting miles off course when the balloon failed to pop at the predetermined altitude, carrying the payload much higher than anticipated. However, overall, the project was deemed a success. We gained valuable experience in designing and flying a HAB, and the design and construction of the payload and payload recovery system provided a valuable experience. Despite ascending beyond the calculated burst altitude of 20,000m (the exact altitude reached is unknown as we did not track altitude) and being exposed to extreme temperatures of greater than -50 degrees Celsius, the GPS system remained functional throughout the duration of the flight due in a large part to creative measures taken to insulate the payload’s more sensitive electronics. The parachute performed perfectly, slowing the descent of the payload and, in conjunction with internal suspension and shock absorption systems, enabled the payload to survive a water landing about 10 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. Finally, the payload continued to transmit a GPS location until seven days after landing in the ocean, indicating that the payload (including the camera window) survived being battered by waves and remained afloat at least until the onboard GPS tracker ran out of power.