Titan Aerospace Atmosat
| Titan Aerospace Atmosat | |
|---|---|
| Type: | Unmanned aerial vehicle |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
planned for late spring 2014 |
The Titan Aerospace Atmosat is a project by the US manufacturer Titan Aerospace for an unmanned aerial vehicle . Atmosat is a combination of the terms atmospheric and satellite . An outstanding feature of the design is the extreme duration of the autonomous flight from planned months to several years.
history
Titan Aerospace presented the Atmosat in summer 2013 at the annual conference of the Association of Unmanned Vehicles and Systems International (AUVSI) in Washington. Two variants of the Atmosat with the designations SOLARA 50 and SOLARA 60 were shown. Each aircraft has a single propeller and an autonomous flight control system. The machine is launched from the ground with a catapult and operates at a speed of 97 km / h (60 mph) at an operating altitude of 19,800 m (65,000 ft). The maximum flight duration is stated as 5.5 years, after which it is necessary to return for maintenance work or replacement of equipment. High-speed radio links transmit telemetry data on flight status and aircraft performance to the ground station during flight.
construction
3000 photovoltaic solar cells are distributed over the surfaces of the 50 m spanning wings, tail unit and fuselage, which charge the lithium-ion battery packs located within the wing. The total output of the batteries is seven kilowatts. The payload is different in the variants and is kg and at the SOLARA 50 31,113 kg in the larger SOLARA 60. Typical payloads can still or video cameras, radar, electro-optical sensors, signal intelligence facilities and GPS - tracking systems to be.
Planned use
Titan Aerospace specifies the use of so-called full-motion video cameras to track processes in real time as typical civil usage scenarios . For example, states could use this technology for border surveillance or continuous mapping for rescue operations in the vicinity of natural disasters can be carried out. Special applications such as monitoring animal migrations or long-term weather observations are also mentioned as possible applications. The use in connection with agricultural issues, such as the monitoring of grain growth using multispectral sensors , is also particularly emphasized .
In general, Atmosats should take over the tasks of satellites in all of these cases at significantly lower costs. Satellites also have the disadvantage that it is only possible to fly over a section of the earth's surface of interest during certain, relatively short periods of time. The machines are to be used above the flight altitudes of general aviation so that they are not subject to the usual air traffic regulations.
Another important aspect of use is its use as a communication relay station for VHF , UHF and microwave frequencies. As a station in a cellular network , an area of 16,800 km² should be covered. For military forces, Atmosats are also intended to provide a fast connection option as a replacement for tactical radio links. The machines should also be able to replace GPS satellites.
With the takeover of the manufacturer by Google Inc. , the technologies are to flow into Project Loon .
Comparable patterns that are able to operate at great heights for a long time are the AeroVironment Helios from the late 1990s, the Global Observer Stratospheric Persistent Unmanned Air System and the Boeing SolarEagle from the Boeing Phantom Works.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 0 |
| span | 50 m (SOLARA 50) 60 m (SOLARA 60) |
| length | 15.5 m (SOLARA 50) |
| Dimensions | 159 kg (SOLARA 50) |
| payload | 31 kg (SOLARA 50) 113 kg (SOLARA 60) |
| Cruising speed | 97 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 19,800 m |
| Max. Flight duration | 5.5 years |
See also
literature
- Mark Broadbent: Powered by the sun - Titan Aerospace Atmosats . In: AIR International, March 2014, pp. 90–93
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Announcement of the first flight on aviationweek.com ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Google buys Titan Aerospace of Moriarty on abqjournal.com
- ↑ Global Internet supply - Google enters the drone business , on spiegel.de
- ↑ a b Titan Aerospace: Solara 50 Atmospheric Satellite. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 8, 2013 ; Retrieved April 15, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
