Do you have an idea, and are not sure how to get it off the ground? Are you looking for the right products to meet your flight objectives? From hobbyists interested in atmospheric conditions to near-space photography, educators supporting engineering and science projects, to commercial applications on UAS and balloon platforms, we have you covered. Here we describe several of our flight modules and how they can work together to build a wide range of systems or integrate with other components of your existing flight system to design a launch tailored to meet your objectives.
HAB Bounder
Our HAB Bounder is a stand-alone product intended for smaller payloads on up-and-burst flights that need to stay within a predefined region. This is a solid entry-level flight controller and data logger for hobbyists, educators, and professionals alike to handle simple flight profiles. Using the HAB Bounder can increase control over the landing region and guard against launch issues such as under-inflated or leaking balloons. It also functions as a flight logger, saving data to a removable SD card for later analysis.
The HAB Bounder enables the user to set parameters ahead of each flight. It has redundant burn-wires that can be activated when time, location, or pressure bounds are reached during a flight. These burn-wires are designed to cut the connection between your payload and the balloon, suggested for payloads below 15 lbs (7 kg) of mass. For heavier payloads, see the HAB Cutter. By using multiple HAB Bounders, you can achieve passive float conditions by controlling tandem balloon flights (see our blog entry for an example of this). They can also be used to release gliders, deploy instruments, or drop ballast during the flight. Some users have also integrated this with an external flight computer to trigger cut-down (here is another example from our blog library).
UAS Bounder
The UAS Bounder is also a stand-alone product. It is used to meet compliance standards for range flight safety by providing a redundant backup for onboard autopilots. This is a unique product, separate from the HAB line for balloon launches, designed for rapid UAS testing, such as fixed-wing rotary drones, on controlled test ranges.
HAB Pilot
Our HAB Pilot is our low-power flight computer intended to control HAB modules that offer termination and altitude control capabilities. The HAB Pilot logs and sends flight telemetry data, which is also saved locally in CSV and KML formats to a removable SD card. Its two-way communication can also receive flight commands and use those to control onboard devices such as the HAB Venter, HAB Ballaster, and HAB Cutter.
The HAB Pilot uses an Iridium Satellite Modem, and can connect to other HAB modules via wired or wireless connection. The data on the SD card is saved at up to 2 Hz while the real-time Iridium SBD message intervals can be as short as 2 minutes. Our Mission Control software is included upon purchase to provide a convenient remote interface for the Pilot via the Iridium SBD modem link. HAB Pilot data can bbe used on the ground to provide real-time plotting of the flight trajectory.
Additional features of the HAB Pilot are its stand-alone flight termination functions, similar to the HAB Bounder, but designed for higher-powered devices. It can fire up to two independent squibs or pyrotechnic cutters for flight termination or for separating components in more complicated flight configurations.
The following modules can be purchased individually to be integrated using an onboard flight computer, such as the HAB Pilot. All of the modules can be controlled via short-range LoRa, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), or wired UART so that the user can arrange the flight train to suit their needs without the need to run communication wiring between each component. Also, during launch and ground testing, the user can communicate with each module individually via smartphone.
HAB Venter
The HAB Venter has two primary features: to vent lift gas in order to reduce buoyancy of the flight system (providing altitude control), and to release the balloon for flight termination. The venter allows for lift gas to be discarded in metered amounts throughout the flight to maintain buoyancy or to terminate the flight. These functions are controlled via an onboard flight computer, such as the HAB Pilot.
HAB Venters come in both bottom- and top-mounted options. The bottom-mount option is more common as it uses a standard single-neck latex weather balloon, while the top-mount requires a dual-neck latex balloon. The bottom-mount option also has redundant termination built in, while the top-mount venter remains with he balloon envelope at termination. We offer assistance selecting the proper size balloon to couple with the HAB Venter, given a target altitude and payload mass.
HAB Ballaster
For altitude control with either latex or plastic weather balloons, we offer the HAB Ballaster. The HAB Ballaster releases mass (ballast) to increase buoyancy of the flight system. The Ballaster is designed for both latex and small zero-pressure balloons, adjusting altitude or to offset night-time lift-gas cooling in order to maintain altitude. It is designed for sand ballast as sand is an easily sourced material, environmentally benign, does not present a falling hazard, and does not interfere with onboard radio transmissions. Note this module also can provide the ability to connect a non-HAB flight computer to LoRa when the flight computer uses a wired connection through the HAB Ballaster.
HAB Cutter
The HAB Cutter is our versatile and reusable cutting module. The cutter can be used to separate components of a flight or to terminate it. This module is comparable in function to the commonly used pyrotechnic squib, but its non-explosive components make it possible to test and reuse. The HAB Cutter is designed to cut up to type V paracord, which makes it suitable for heavy payloads.
In addition to the technical products listed above, we offer additional flight assembly and launch tools and support. For example, the Woffin and Venter Insert can be provided as components, or as 3D print files.
Woffin
This is our popular weigh-off inflation device. This permits the balloon to be accurately inflated with the flight train already attached, preventing a number of common launch-time challenges. The plastic piece sits in the neck of the balloon while latex tubing allows the user to fill the balloon then pinch off a small piece of tubing when it has reached proper inflation. The Woffin is ideal for tandem ballooning where precise inflation is required.
Balloon Insert
The Balloon Insert is a 3D-printable adapter for our HAB Venter that remains with the balloon through termination. This comes in a range of sizes to adapt the standard 3, 5, 8, or 11 cm balloon necks.
