HySpex Payloads Successfully Complete Major Daily Stratospheric Flight
Sceye, an aerospace company known for its expertise in materials science and High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS), has announced the successful completion of a daily stratospheric flight, marking a major milestone toward long-duration flight on solar energy.
The HAPS, launched from the Sceye facility in New Mexico on August 15 at 7:36 a.m. MST, landed the next day at 12:21 a.m. MST after successfully completing all flight test objectives. The mission demonstrated the potential of using solar power during the day and battery power at night, paving the way for continuous use for longer periods.
On board the HAPS were two HySpex hyperspectral imagers (HSI), supplied by Norsk Elektro Optikk AS (NEO): the Mjolnir V-1240, owned by the US Geological Survey (USGS), and a modified SWIR-640 designed for methane detection . Optimized for high-altitude performance, both cameras captured data at ground sampling distances (GSD) of 5 and 3.4 meters from an altitude of 70,000 feet, over the wavelength range of 400-1000 nm and 1350-2500 nm.
“It is difficult to comprehend the amount of information that can be extracted from HSI, but it is safe to say that this platform is a game changer when it comes to remote sensing with natural light. From vegetation, agriculture and mineral exploration to hydrocarbon leaks and surveillance,” said Martin Lovoy, research scientist at NEO, who was part of the payload team on the Roswell flight.
This successful stratospheric flight is the third for HySpex, significantly advancing NEO’s high-altitude systems strategy. The team now returns to Norway with extensive data that will be processed into maps for geology, hydrocarbon detection and methane detection.
“With this flight we hope to demonstrate our detection limit for stratospheric methane gas. The HySpex hyperspectral cameras on board the Sceye HAPS provide an excellent turnkey solution for environmental monitoring, with the clear benefit of long-term stratospheric operations,” said Karina Strom, research scientist at NEO, who also took part in the Roswell flight.
HySpex continues to deliver high-quality hyperspectral data in a variety of environmental conditions, proving the adaptability of its products. The advanced payload suite on Sceye’s platform is an important step towards real-time environmental monitoring and mapping, addressing critical global issues such as flooding, forest fires, pollution and gas leaks.
Sceye has conducted twenty test flights to date, with two more planned in 2024 as the platform moves closer to commercialization.
