In addition to communications services, the Loon platform is well suited to a variety of scientific missions that could leverage Loon’s long-duration balloon-based stratospheric flights. Loon already carries a suite of sensors for improving Loon’s understanding of the stratosphere and the balloon vehicle’s operational performance. These sensors include measurements of temperature, pressure, upwelling infrared radiation, and wind velocity (derived from GPS position data). Loon has developed a repository of such data from prior balloon flights stretching back several years and continues to collect this data in on new flights. The data is relayed back in real time, using a satellite connection when balloons are outside the range of other communication means.
Furthermore, the Loon platform is capable of carrying additional payloads that may benefit from a balloon-based flight. Such payloads include scientific, earth, and space observation missions, as well as payloads targeting future space missions that are looking to increase their technology readiness level via a balloon flight. For small payloads, the Loon platform can accommodate such payloads as a secondary rideshare mission. Larger payloads would require a dedicated flight in lieu of the primary communications mission. In all cases, the payload can leverage Loon’s solar and battery power system, telemetry and command data handling system, as well as the ability to dowlink mission data through high speed backhaul links.
In this paper, we provide a description of Loon’s existing sensor suite, an overview of prior scientific work leveraging Loon sensor data, and high-level specifications of Loon’s hosted payload capabilities.
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