We all remember the first successful launch of the balloon satellite ‘Mission Payanke’ which took place on April 28 this year at the Stad Popiler! The Balloon landed at Le Niol the same day after two hours in our sky.
“This was due to good weather condition and once it came down, we had to analyse the data it collected,” shared Xavier Estico, director general of the Division of Science, Technology & Innovation (DSTI) under the aegis of the Ministry of Investment, Entrepreneurship and Industry in a press presentation last Friday.
Mission Payanke project was a collaboration between the DSTI and SpaceKidz India (SKI) and funded by Unesco.
Data collected
Flight trajectory: The High-Altitude Balloon filled with helium carrying the “Mission Payanke” Balloon Satellite lifted off from Stad Popiler in Victoria at 0818hrs on April 28, 2022. The balloon was filled with excess helium to increase the ascent rate so that the probability of the balloon landing on the land and near the shore can be increased.
The Balloon Satellite reached an altitude of 73,454 ft from sea level and landed near a hilly region on the land. The entire mission took around 2 hours. On the accompanying map, one can see the 3D visualisation of the Balloon Satellite’s flight path.
Pressure data: data collected from the onboard barometric pressure sensor has been plotted where we can see the relationship between altitude and atmospheric pressure in the bar.
Temperature data: The accompanying graph represents the data from two temperature sensors placed inside and outside the balloons. The internal temperature sensor was measuring the temperature inside the payload box which was regulated using onboard chemical heaters while the external temperature sensor was measuring the ambient temperature of the upper atmosphere. The lowest temperature recorded was -60 degrees Celsius. The unit of temperature is noted in Celcius.
Radiation data: There was an Ionized Radiation Counter onboard the balloon satellite which was measuring ionizing radiations like alpha, beta, gamma, X-rays, Cosmic Radiation, etc. We can clearly see the increase in the radiation levels as the altitude increased. The unit of Radiation is in Counts per Minute (CPM). It can be converted to Microsieverts by using mathematical models if required.
Humidity data: Data collected from the onboard digital humidity pressure sensor has been plotted. We can see the relationship between altitude and relative humidity. The altitude is mentioned in feet and humidity is mentioned in the Relative Humidity (RH%).
Magnetometer Data, Gyroscope Data and Accelerometer Data: There was an Intertial Measure Unit (IMU) onboard the Balloon Satellite, it comprised 3 axes – Accelerometer, Gyroscope, and Magnetometer. The data from the IMU is given above. The magnetometer unit is mentioned in microtesla, the gyroscope in radians per second, and the accelerometer in “g force”.
For this report the Raw Data was archived by: Keerthan Chand, Software Engineer, Space Kidz India; Processed for Visuals by: Clinton Antony, Propulsion Engineer, Space KidzInda; Interpreted and Reviewed by: Rifath Shaarook, Chief Technology Officer, Space Kidz India and Data and Report Authorised for Release by Dr Srimathy Kesan, Founder, CEO, Space Kidz India.
Mr Estico shared that the report has been shared to the schools where the 30 students came from and it will be explained to them.
“Educationally this was a successful mission and we at DSTI will keep promoting more learning for our children and youth,” he said.
Source: Seychelles Nation
