Project Sober

Project Sober

A proposal for the European Space Agency’s Balloon Experiments for University Students programme, focused on space object brightness evaluation and reference from a stratospheric balloon.

Weight Breakdown and Payload Mounting for Project S.O.B.E.R.

As part of the development of Project S.O.B.E.R., a stratospheric balloon experiment to evaluate Resident Space Objects (RSOs), this document provides an analysis of the payload’s weight breakdown and mounting design. The report addresses feedback from the proposal phase, offering insights into the mission’s technical design choices and alignment with past successful projects.

Weight Breakdown

The payload weight estimation combines known components and projections based on similar missions, such as RSONAR and IRISC. For S.O.B.E.R., the total estimated mass, including a safety factor, is approximately 7.533 kg, ensuring compliance with the BEXUS payload limit of 100 kg.

Key components include:

  • RADIA M100 infrared camera: 820 g
  • UI-3370CP-M-GL camera: 52 g
  • Generic payload parts, fasteners, and aluminum frames: ~5,000 g

Payload Mounting Design

To optimize the field of view (FOV) for observing RSOs, the payload sensors are mounted at a 45-degree angle. The mounting design incorporates learnings from missions like RSONAR and IRISC, ensuring unobstructed data collection and minimizing atmospheric distortion. The payload includes both a monochrome camera and a thermal imaging camera, each equipped with carefully chosen lenses to meet mission objectives.

The proposed mounting configuration has been diagrammed for clarity and precision, supporting the mission’s scientific goals.

For the full report, including detailed diagrams and references, click here to download the PDF.