Purpose of the flight and payload description
The primary objective of the T500 engineering test flight was to evaluate an upgraded telemetry data-handling capability required by the FPS100, a 100-cm balloon-borne infrared telescope developed by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). The existing configuration transmitted all telemetry data through a single radio-frequency transmission, which posed limitations as system complexity increased. After considering multiple options, the technical staff of the balloon facility determined that the most feasible solution was to divide the telemetry data and transmit them via two separate RF channels. This dual-telemetry configuration involved transmitting one data stream at the standard 10 kbps rate on 2259 MHz and a second, higher-rate stream at 250 kbps on 2281 MHz. The goal of this test was to flight-validate this dual-telemetry approach and verify the performance of new on-board electronics designed for this configuration.
Additionally, the test flight aimed to validate the operation of a TIFR-customized six-stage Quartz Crystal Microbalance impactor, manufactured by California Measurements, USA. This instrument was included in this flight to collect aerosol data in the free troposphere at varying altitudes.
The telemetry system sent signals to a common dish antenna on the ground, which then split the data into two independent acquisition chains within the control room. This setup allowed the performance of both the dual-telemetry system and the QCM instrument to be closely monitored. The flight successfully tested the dual-telemetry system for the first time and demonstrated its potential for future use in complex balloon experiments.
Also, the TIFR Balloon Facility achieved with this flight the landmark of 500 scientific balloon launches, hence the name of the mision.
Details of the balloon flight
Balloon launched on: 4/13/2018 at
Launch site: TIFR National Balloon Facility, Hyderabad, India
Balloon launched by: National Balloon Facility, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
Balloon manufacturer/size/composition: Zero Pressure Balloon Antrix 3.036 cuft
Flight identification number: 500
End of flight (L for landing time, W for last contact, otherwise termination time): 4/13/2018
Balloon flight duration (F: time at float only, otherwise total flight time in d:days / h:hours or m:minutes - ): F 3 h 20 m
Landing site: 102 km SW of Hyderabad, India
Payload weight: 57,5 kg
The flight took place on 13 April 2018 using a zero pressure balloon with a volume of 3,026 cubic meters made out of 15 microns Antrix film and inflated with hydrogen. The balloon was launched from Hyderabad to an altitude of about 25 km above mean sea level. After successful completion of the mission objectives, the balloon flight was terminated and the payload was safely recovered 102 km south-west of the TIFR Balloon Facility.
External references
- A brief history of 500 scientific balloon flights by the TIFR Balloon Group TIFR balloon facility website
Images of the mission
If you consider this website interesting or useful, you can help me to keep it up and running with a small donation to cover the operational costs. Just the equivalent of the price of a cup of coffee helps a lot.
