SBIR Phase I: Sub-orbital Ballooning System for Low-cost, Instant, and Long-Duration Mesospheric Access for Research, Testing, and Technology Demonstrations

SBIR 第一阶段：亚轨道气球系统，用于低成本、即时和长时间的中层访问，用于研究、测试和技术演示

• 批准号: 2151483
• 负责人: Pradeep Shinde
• 金额: $ 25.6万
• 依托单位: Space Balloon Technologies Corp.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-08-15 至 2024-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2151483&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Sub; orbital; Ballooning

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase-I project is the creation of a new, state-of-the-art, low-cost, semi-automatic. ultra-high-altitude balloon system for suborbital transportation system. The technology seeks to provide routine sub-orbital atmospheric flights for environmental testing of payloads in the ultra-low vacuum of the Mesosphere (260,000 feet). The technology also seeks to transport metrological payloads, such as radiosondes (that measures pressure, temperature, and relative humidity) and rawinsondes (that evaluate wind speed and direction, temperature, pressure, and relative humidity) at all altitudes from the ground to 260,000 feet for extended periods of time. This capability is especially critical for increasing the success rate of space missions. The new testing capability may save the space industry hundreds of million dollars in technology failures annually. The transportation of metrological payloads to the upper extremes of the atmosphere for extended periods of time may also provide improved accuracy of weather forecasts.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to solve well-known problems that prevent balloons from taking payloads to the upper atmosphere. This project will develop hardware prototypes, perform software development, and integrate the hardware and software together. The team will perform flight demonstrations to characterize the impact of the Mesospheric environment on the ballooning flight transport and demonstrate the low-cost payload transport to the Mesospheric sub-orbital altitudes for a long duration ( hour).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.

该小企业创新研究 (SBIR) 第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是创建一种新的、最先进的、低成本的半自动系统。用于亚轨道运输系统的超高空气球系统。该技术旨在为中间层超低真空（260,000 英尺）中的有效载荷提供常规亚轨道大气飞行，进行环境测试。 该技术还寻求在从地面到 260,000 英尺的所有高度上运输计量有效载荷，例如无线电探空仪（测量压力、温度和相对湿度）和罗文探空仪（评估风速和风向、温度、压力和相对湿度）长时间。这种能力对于提高太空任务的成功率尤其重要。新的测试能力每年可为航天工业节省数亿美元的技术故障费用。将计量有效载荷长时间运输到大气层的最上端也可以提高天气预报的准确性。这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在解决阻碍气球携带有效载荷的众所周知的问题到高层大气。该项目将开发硬件原型，进行软件开发，并将硬件和软件集成在一起。 该团队将进行飞行演示，以表征中层环境对气球飞行运输的影响，并演示长时间（小时）到中层亚轨道高度的低成本有效载荷运输。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并具有通过使用基金会的智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。