I-Corps: Sub-orbital Ballooning System (SBS) for Earth and Space Observations, Meteorological Applications, and Scientific Studies

I-Corps：用于地球和空间观测、气象应用和科学研究的亚轨道气球系统 (SBS)

• 批准号: 2132197
• 负责人: Ibrahim Tansel
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: Florida International University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-06-01 至 2022-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2132197&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; Sub; orbital; Ballooning; System

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a sub-orbital ballooning system for Earth and space observations, meteorological applications, and scientific studies. Currently, the only way to access this region is via rocketry, which does not allow more than a few minutes of access. The proposed technology may remove the hurdles in accessing the mesospheric sub-orbital region for a prolonged duration and allow balloon-based payload launch support at a cost less than 50% of the current sub-orbital launch costs. In addition, the proposed technology may intensify the exploitation of mesosphere for scientific research, exploration, and security purposes. It is estimated that the proposed system may save $1M/sq.km/y in capital expenses and $2M/sq.km/y in operational expenses for telecommunication service providers, making them lower-cost with wide coverage for next generation networks (5G/6G). In addition, the proposed technology may fulfill the remote sensing and technology demonstration needs of the private sector and military needs for communication and persistent surveillance, as well as the needs of federal agencies, academia, and the scientific community in better understanding the mesosphere and its effects on the Earth, which otherwise is not feasible using existing technologies of rocketry or high-altitude ballooning. A goal for the technology is to enable low-cost space exploration that will open doors to many who have no access to space today due to technological limitations and cost constraints, accelerating space exploration.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a sub-orbital ballooning system for Earth and space observations, meteorological applications, and scientific studies. The technology leverages advancement in ballooning technology by incorporating previous research on size control by energy and mass transfer to reach higher altitudes throughout the mesosphere and up to the edge of space (von Kármán line). The artificial intelligence (AI) powered system is designed to sense the environment, understand the ballooning transport needs, and fulfil energy demands facilitating the inflation or deflation of the balloon envelop. This capability enables the raising or lowering of the balloon’s altitude without bursting the balloon. The proposed technology performs precise altitude control that enables access to the sub-orbital region for prolonged durations. The proposed technology was designed to address the technology gap and market needs followed by proof-of-concept demonstrations on scaled prototypes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该 I-Corps 项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发用于地球和空间观测、气象应用和科学研究的亚轨道气球系统。目前，进入该地区的唯一方法是通过火箭技术，这确实可以实现。所提出的技术可能会消除长时间进入中层亚轨道区域的障碍，并允许以低于当前技术 50% 的成本支持基于气球的有效载荷发射。此外，拟议的技术可能会加强对中间层的利用，用于科学研究、探索和安全目的，据估计，拟议的系统每年可节省 100 万美元/平方公里的资本支出和 2 美元。 M/平方公里/年的电信服务提供商运营费用，使其成本更低，下一代网络（5G/6G）覆盖范围更广。此外，所提出的技术可以满足遥感和技术示范的需求。私营部门和军事需求通信和持续监视，以及联邦机构、学术界和科学界更好地了解中间层及其对地球影响的需求，否则使用现有的火箭或高空气球技术是不可能实现的。该技术的目标是实现低成本太空探索，这将为许多由于技术限制和成本限制而无法进入太空的人打开大门，从而加速太空探索。这个I-Corps项目基于子项目的开发- 轨道气球系统该技术通过结合先前通过能量和质量传递进行尺寸控制的研究，利用气球技术的进步，实现地球和空间观测、气象应用和科学研究，以达到整个中间层和太空边缘的更高高度（冯卡门线）。人工智能 (AI) 驱动系统旨在感知环境、了解气球运输需求并满足能量需求，从而促进气球外壳的充气或放气。这种功能可以在不破裂的情况下升高或降低气球的高度。所提出的技术可以执行精确的高度控制，从而能够长时间进入亚轨道区域。该技术旨在解决技术差距和市场需求，然后在比例原型上进行概念验证。通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，NSF 的法定使命被认为值得支持。