Mission Overview
While satellite launches are the ultimate goal of HSL, sometimes results are needed in a more immediate (or at least more cost-effective) method. To accomplish this, we created our first Platform for High Altitude Testing (PHAT-1) in the 2018-19 school year. This allowed the team to improve on and experiment with the technology used in the HuskySat-1 mission, as well as try out new techniques for future missions.
Mission Summary
The PHAT-1 mission consisted of two parts: a system bus, containing mission hardware, and a payload section, both of which hung below a high altitude balloon. The balloon was then launched to ~90,000 feet. Components on the bus included main power, data logging, and controls, as well as a GPS, magnetometer, and altimeter. The payload section consisted of a camera, pulsed plasma thruster (PPT) and deployable langmuir probe.
Unfortunately, not long after reaching its operational altitude, contact with the PHAT-1 was lost. Flight trajectory puts the landing point in the middle of a reservoir near the launch site, so the onboard data was never recovered.
Still, the mission provided useful insight for future missions. The development of the PPT led to a new ignitor/charge board design that is more compact than that used in HuskySat-1’s PPT. The mission opened up new ideas for computational software, and the lack of recovery reinforced the need for effective and efficient radio transmission.
Status: Complete
Mission Type: High-Altitude BalloonLaunch Date: 06-01-2019Launch Altitude: ~90,000 feetMission Completion Date: 06-01-2019
balloon_launch.mp4