UAVOS Inc. and Stratodynamics Inc. have successfully performed a series ofstratospheric flights with the balloon launched HiDRON, an autonomous aircraft, atSpaceport America, New Mexico. The mission objectives were to advance new systems for forward sensing turbulence detection onboard aircraft at near-space andcommercial flight altitudes. The early June campaign was supported by the NASAFlight Opportunities Program to advance turbulence detection sensors developed by the University of Kentucky (UKY) and NASA’s Langley Research Center. The results will cross-validate data from multiple probes with flight data from the HiDRON.
During the campaign, the HiDRON glider was released from the balloon at an altitude of 82,000 ft. (25 km) on the first two launches, and at 98,000 ft. (30 km) on the final launch and was gliding successfully at 92,000 ft (28 km). The HiDRON was released from the balloon in zero-gravity conditions and accelerated rapidly, approaching 300 mph ground speed (480 kph) in the first 15 seconds of flight. The HiDRON then glided in a controlled flight path back toward Spaceport America’s runway for approximately 4.5 hours while recording flight and payload data.
The UAVOS designed avionics system demonstrated stable performance in extremetemperatures from -85°F (-65°C) to +95°F (+30 °C) as well as a breakthrough in autonomous control during the critical ‘pull-out phase’ following balloon release. UAVOS’ avionics system is considered to be the brains of the HiDRON glider ensuring safe Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight profiles throughout the various phases of lift-off, ascent and landing.
During the mission, UAVOS’ autopilot took measurements and recorded navigation data on a flight recorder with a frequency of up to 400 Hz. UAVOS’ autopilot sensors (on-board acceleration sensors, angular velocity sensors, GNSS, magnetometer, air data sensors, temperature sensors) allowed it to record wind velocity, direction, magnitude, and low-frequency sound waves. “For example, the air fluctuations with a frequency of 1 Hz and a very small amplitude (0.1 m/s²) at an altitude of 23 km were detected by our specialists while analyzing data from a flight recorder”, adds UAVOS lead autopilot developer and CEO, Aliaksei Stratsilatau. The high altitude aerodynamics data is proving invaluable for processing payload data as well as for analyzing atmospheric phenomena in the stratosphere in general.
The flight campaign participants included HiDRON avionics system developer, UAVOS,researchers from the University of Kentucky and NASA’s Langley Research Centre,HiDRON inventor and flight services provider, Stratodynamics Inc., as well as scientists from the Physical Sciences Lab at New Mexico State University’s Physical Sciences Lab who assisted with balloon launch logistics. This multi-member collaboration converged at Spaceport America to combine the novel, high-altitude aerial platform with multi-hole wind probe and infrasonic microphone sensors to advance forward detection of turbulence systems.
UKY researchers will spend the next several months analyzing the sensor data to identify turbulent events and their proximity to the airborne sensors. Dr. Sean Bailey of the University of Kentucky adds, “The HiDRON aircraft was an ideal platform for these investigations. Its controlled descent provided us with many hours of data and increased our ability to observe randomly occurring events. We look forward to examining the data more closely to see what we can learn about turbulence in the atmosphere.”
“This mission represents a major milestone for Stratodynamics in achieving controlled, autonomous flight at record-setting altitudes and with aircraft’s aerodynamically efficient airframe capable of utilizing available natural energy. The HiDRON also performs as an extremely sensitive instrument that can detect turbulence and correlate data collected from payload sensors. This campaign will contribute to Stratodynamics’ turbulence detection systems currently in development for multiple aviation-based applications” said Gary Pundsack, CEO Stratodynamics.
Scott McLaughlin, Executive Director of Spaceport America, noted “This truly is exciting science and technology. It combines UAV’s, balloons, and infrasonics to measure turbulence in the atmosphere in a way no one else has done. We are very happy to have had their team testing at Spaceport America.”
UAVOS’ lead autopilot developer and CEO Aliaksei Stratsilatau, adds, “The HiDRONsuccessfully completed all of the missions proving that UAVOS’ scalable, fully integrated avionics system, as well as flight-proven hardware continue to ensure HiDRON is at the forefront of stratospheric missions for the long-term. This succeeded today thanks to the combined hard work of NASA’s Langley Research Center, Stratodynamics Inc., the University of Kentucky, and the UAVOS team”.
Stratodynamics Inc. is a leader in high-altitude aerial vehicles and flight provider services. Stratodynamics is also developing turbulence detection solutions for the aviation and urban air mobility sectors utilizing licensed NASA technology.
UAVOS Co. is a leading developer of innovative solutions for unmanned air, ground and marine applications and specializes in autopilots and UAV accessories.
Spaceport America is the first purpose-built commercial spaceport in the world. The FAA-licensed launch complex, situated on 18,000 acres adjacent to the U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico, has a rocket friendly environment of 6,000 square miles of restricted airspace, low population density, a 12,000-foot by 200-foot runway, vertical launch complexes, and about 340 days of sunshine and low humidity.
NMSU Physical Science LaboratoryFounded in 1946 in response to the nation’s space and rocket programs, PSL’s growth in capability and talent has enabled the university to provide exceptional support to numerous scientific and technical activities across the nation and around the globe. Today’s domain expertise includes Electronic Warfare, Counter Measures, Cybersecurity, Telemetry and Missile Systems, Aerospace and Scientific Ballooning. PSL maintains a catalogue of telemetry and antenna systems designed and built in our laboratory. Additionally, custom flight hardware can be designed to meet customer needs.
