Brinson Weather Balloon

August 01, 2024

Weather balloon payload concept using FPV cameras and an RF video system to continuously beam live footage from the balloon during flight.

Payload Overview

This project covers a weather balloon payload designed to capture and transmit live video from altitude while keeping the system compact enough for balloon flight.

FPV Video System

The payload uses FPV cameras so footage can be continuously viewed from the ground during the flight instead of only being recovered after landing.

RF Hardware

The RF video system is responsible for sending the FPV feed down to the ground station. The design focuses on packaging the camera, transmitter, power, and wiring so the video link can survive launch, ascent, and recovery.

Launch

The launch setup prepares the balloon, payload, and live-video link for flight while keeping the camera view and RF system active.

Recovery

The recovery image shows us flying drones to locate and recover the weather balloon after the GPS failed. The drone search helped us find the payload and complete the recovery despite losing the expected GPS tracking path.