Update on World View Progress

World View Stratollite module. (Credit: Douglas Messier)

The Next Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference is being held in Colorado through Wednesday. I wasn’t able to attend this year, but the following folks are there tweeting away:

• Jeff Foust‏ @jeff_foust
• Rand Simberg‏ @Rand_Simberg
• Colorado Space News‏ @CO_Space_News

Below is an update on the progress of World View based on their tweets.

Jane Poynter
CEO
World View

• 2017 has been a seminal year for World View in which the company has flown many times
• Helium-filled balloons can carry Stratollite platforms with 50-kg payloads to altitudes of 16-30 km
• Stratollites can provide payloads with 250 watts of power
• Plan to double mass and power capacity within the next year
• Balloons can remain stationary over specific areas and maneuvered to a location of the client’s choosing
• Expect to increase flight rate to 1 or 2 per month quite quickly
• balloons can only descend to ground at night, but plan to change that in the future
• The stratosphere (aka, “ignorosphere”) is a good destination destination for science investigation
• Stratollites can be used to test experiments and technology for Mars because the atmospheric pressure at the altitudes they reach are similar to that on the Red Planet
• “very close” to substituting hydrogen for helium in balloons
• Spaceport Tucson is focused on stratospheric flights
• Other balloon operators are welcome at Spaceport Tucson where World View operates

Andrew Antonio
Director of Marketing
World View

• Can provide imaging coverage for longer periods of time and at lower costs than UAVs
• Goal is to provide best of satellites and UAVs using balloons
• Using off-the-shelf cameras got a resolution of about 50 cm
• Believes company can reduce imaging system to 10- to 15-cm resolution next year and communications rate to 100- to 500 Mbps
• Ultimate goal is have constellations floating over regions providing continuous imaging