Autonomous Balloon Technology: Automated Methods for Rapid Balloon Inflation and Launching

Traditional High-Altitude Balloon (HAB) platforms provide a realistic and cost-effective strategy for a range of applications. However, manual launches often take hours and require many people. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Innovation To Flight program has begun work on a completely autonomous multi-balloon launching system called the autolauncher. The aim of the autolauncher is to expedite the launching process while allowing HABs to be launched in challenging or remote terrain. The new design would fully automate the set up and successive launch of multiple balloons with at most 30 minutes between each flight. The autolauncher manipulates a novel balloon packing and transport container called a Balloon Capsule and operates as follows: capsules are autonomously loaded into an inflation/launch staging area, where the Helium Engagement and Locking (HEL) system connects the balloon to helium and restrains it while it is inflated, releasing the balloon when ready for launch. The balloon inflation occurs within a Balloon Inflation Barrier (BiB) that protects the balloon during inflation. The proposed design is quasi-modular and incorporates discrete subsystems for controlling payload and balloon storage, balloon setup and loading, and balloon inflation and launch. This paper focuses on development of the Balloon Capsule, BiB, and the HEL system, primary components necessary for the inflation and launch subsystem. Results from two investigative studies used to determine new balloon packing and balloon inflation protection methods are presented. The first study examined the deployment characteristics of compressed, thin-walled balloons and tested a new cascading-folding method to tightly pack balloons. The BiB design was validated experimentally in the second study by measuring balloon deflection under wind speeds up to 42 km/h. A prototype of the HEL system was built and successfully tested under 1.5x the expected lift forces and incorporated into a structural prototype of the autolauncher. The prototype weighs less than 9.0 kg and is 88.4 cm long, 56.4 cm wide, and 37.2 cm tall. This design will significantly reduce the time and labor necessary for HAB launches. Remaining work includes: implementing the helium control; design of balloon payload storage systems; and testing the prototype during a full launch.