Fri, Sep 08, 2017
Demonstrating Viability As A Platform For High-Resolution Sensing
World View recently completed another successful milestone Stratollite mission, breaking their previous duration record by flying a total of ~27 hours. The company says the achievement is a major step forward for the Stratollite - the world's first long-duration (weeks/months), persistent and steerable stratospheric balloon vehicle capable of carrying payloads.
Stratollite was launched from Page, Arizona on Sunday, August 27th to further demonstrate the aircraft as a viable platform for high-resolution remote sensing. The Stratollite carried four remote sensing payloads from Ball Aerospace, with whom World View has a fantastic partnership. Ball and World View intend to use the Stratollite to collect persistent, high-resolution imagery for commercial and government customers, including US Southern Command, who commissioned this specific mission. Admiral Tidd, Commander, US Southern Command, recently said of the Stratollite, “We think this has the potential to be a game-changer for us – a great, long duration, long-dwell surveillance platform.” Future missions could include maritime surveillance operations such as combating human and drug trafficking and maritime piracy.
Flying through and controlling the Stratollite during a full day and night cycle is a major step forward. Temperature differences between day and night present buoyancy dynamic issues for the balloons, which make altitude and directional control quite difficult. But the company says it has now proven that the Stratollite system can handle those dynamics, and it is now the first high-altitude balloon vehicle to perform a controlled 25,000 ft. altitude change in the stratosphere.
(Images provided with World View news release)
More News
Hold Procedure A predetermined maneuver which keeps aircraft within a specified airspace while awaiting further clearance from air traffic control. Also used during ground operatio>[...]
Altitude Readout An aircraft’s altitude, transmitted via the Mode C transponder feature, that is visually displayed in 100-foot increments on a radar scope having readout cap>[...]
Aero Linx: European Hang Gliding and Paragliding Union (EHPU) The general aim of the EHPU is to promote and protect hang gliding and paragliding in Europe. In order to achieve this>[...]
Also: Skydio Chief, Uncle Sam Sues, Dash 7 magniX, OR UAS Accelerator US Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall was given a turn around the patch in the 'X-62A Variable In-flight>[...]
"The need for innovation at speed and scale is greater than ever. The X-62A VISTA is a crucial platform in our efforts to develop, test and integrate AI, as well as to establish AI>[...]