DARPA launched a trio of ALTA balloons from Cumberland, MD, on June 18,
2019. These flights are coordinated with the FAA weeks ahead, and the ALTA
team maintains regular communication with the FAA.
“Balloons are controlled from fixed and mobile ground stations, with consistent
point-to-point links and satellite relays,” said Dr. Alexander M. G. Walan, ALTA
program manager, noting that the craft have sensors to assess flight performance.
As part of ALTA, DARPA is also developing a sensor that will provide realtime stratospheric wind measurements. Outside scientific curiosity, the real test of
an entirely wind-borne vessel will be what kinds of payloads it can carry, and what
information they can meaningfully provide. Fitting cheap and useful sensors to
expendable vehicles is something the military is already working on. The utility of
such a platform will hinge greatly on cost and payload. Sensors that could be
launched into the wind and reach across the globe could prove useful for getting
data on places too dangerous for crewed or unmanned aircraft, and also in places
where satellite coverage is for some reason unavailable.
9.4.3 Space Data
As threats to global and national security have heightened, so has the need for a wireless communications network that can be easily and quickly deployed to, or from any
location. The SkySat balloon-borne radio repeater system developed by Space Data
provides troops with stratospheric platforms to instantly relay critical combat voice
and data communications between forward-deployed on-the-move troops or back to
distant control elements under any conditions, including rough terrain, remote areas,
and severe weather. Its stratospheric wireless transceivers enable communication
where distances exceed terrestrial line of sight and where satellite alternatives are not
viable. It was first deployed by the military in 2007. The production version radio
repeater payload operates as a military-grade UHF repeater covering 225-375 MHz,
but additional band coverage can be pursued to meet user requirements.
Another increasingly common mission for the SkySat radio repeater payload is
to carry additional payload, suspended beneath it, to altitudes above 20 km (65,000
ft). With the option for SkyEye remote imaging, users can undertake a variety of
special purpose missions including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
(ISR). The platform provides a short range two-way communication link between
itself and the suspended payload to support command and control of, and low-rate
telemetry from the lower payload via the Space Data command and control link to
its standard ground station.
Currently in use by the U.S. military, Space Data’s SkySat stratospheric platform
extends the range of standard issue military two-way radios from 16 km (10 mi) to
nearly 800 km (500 mi). The balloon-borne system is easily transportable and can
be launched by an individual or a two-person team. Deployment is simply a matter
of filling a military-grade balloon with helium or hydrogen, attaching the Space
Data radio repeater payload and launching by hand. Once on its way to a float altitude of around 25 km (80,000 ft), SkySat supports technologies such as Land
228 The Balloon World
2019. These flights are coordinated with the FAA weeks ahead, and the ALTA
team maintains regular communication with the FAA.
“Balloons are controlled from fixed and mobile ground stations, with consistent
point-to-point links and satellite relays,” said Dr. Alexander M. G. Walan, ALTA
program manager, noting that the craft have sensors to assess flight performance.
As part of ALTA, DARPA is also developing a sensor that will provide realtime stratospheric wind measurements. Outside scientific curiosity, the real test of
an entirely wind-borne vessel will be what kinds of payloads it can carry, and what
information they can meaningfully provide. Fitting cheap and useful sensors to
expendable vehicles is something the military is already working on. The utility of
such a platform will hinge greatly on cost and payload. Sensors that could be
launched into the wind and reach across the globe could prove useful for getting
data on places too dangerous for crewed or unmanned aircraft, and also in places
where satellite coverage is for some reason unavailable.
9.4.3 Space Data
As threats to global and national security have heightened, so has the need for a wireless communications network that can be easily and quickly deployed to, or from any
location. The SkySat balloon-borne radio repeater system developed by Space Data
provides troops with stratospheric platforms to instantly relay critical combat voice
and data communications between forward-deployed on-the-move troops or back to
distant control elements under any conditions, including rough terrain, remote areas,
and severe weather. Its stratospheric wireless transceivers enable communication
where distances exceed terrestrial line of sight and where satellite alternatives are not
viable. It was first deployed by the military in 2007. The production version radio
repeater payload operates as a military-grade UHF repeater covering 225-375 MHz,
but additional band coverage can be pursued to meet user requirements.
Another increasingly common mission for the SkySat radio repeater payload is
to carry additional payload, suspended beneath it, to altitudes above 20 km (65,000
ft). With the option for SkyEye remote imaging, users can undertake a variety of
special purpose missions including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
(ISR). The platform provides a short range two-way communication link between
itself and the suspended payload to support command and control of, and low-rate
telemetry from the lower payload via the Space Data command and control link to
its standard ground station.
Currently in use by the U.S. military, Space Data’s SkySat stratospheric platform
extends the range of standard issue military two-way radios from 16 km (10 mi) to
nearly 800 km (500 mi). The balloon-borne system is easily transportable and can
be launched by an individual or a two-person team. Deployment is simply a matter
of filling a military-grade balloon with helium or hydrogen, attaching the Space
Data radio repeater payload and launching by hand. Once on its way to a float altitude of around 25 km (80,000 ft), SkySat supports technologies such as Land
228 The Balloon World