HYDERABAD: Near space startup Red Balloon Aerospace, which was founded by former Skyroot Aerospace executives, successfully launched India’s first indigenous super pressure balloon at Vijayawada on Wednesday.
The Vijayawada-based startup, which recently conducted tethered trials of its super pressure balloon, plans to set a new national endurance benchmark with its maiden balloon flight by keeping the balloon airborne for up to 24 hours in the stratosphere, between 20 and 40 km above Earth, a layer that is beyond the reach of conventional aircraft and below satellites.
The mission, if successful, will place India among a select group of countries that have indigenous capabilities in this sector.
The super pressure balloon, which is made from polymer nanocomposite, is filled with hydrogen gas as part of its lighter-than-air technology and is equipped with a high-precision global navigation satellite system (GNSS) module for navigation.
With a capacity to carry a payload of up to 50 kg, the maiden mission saw six payloads, including a high-resolution imaging payload capable of delivering 25 to 75 centimetres resolution, being launched along with other sensors.
Red Balloon Aerospace co-founder and CEO Dr CVS Kiran and its co-founder and COO Sireesh Pallikonda told TOI that the startup’s maiden mission, which is designed to break India’s current balloon endurance record with a targeted flight of up to 24 hours, will validate the balloon’s structural integrity and reliability while enabling uninterrupted day-and-night monitoring.
They said the platform can support telecommunications in rural and underserved regions, monitor industrial corridors stretching hundreds of kilometres, aid disaster response across entire states, and provide continuous observation for strategic uses.
Dr Kiran said near space platforms like theirs can be deployed in weeks at a fraction of satellite deployment costs and can be recovered, repaired and redeployed.
Sireesh Pallikonda said the startup, which was floated last year, aims to make stratospheric access affordable through rideshare and dedicated missions for startups, universities and research teams. He said the technology could also extend connectivity to villages, tribal regions and coastlines where conventional towers cannot reach.
Swati Bharadwaj is a business journalist with 30 years of experie...
Read MoreSwati Bharadwaj is a business journalist with 30 years of experience covering a host of sectors – right from technology, GCCs, talent, cybersecurity, pharma & biotech, aerospace & defence, BFSI, gems & jewellery to automotive, hospitality, infrastructure, retail, among others. She has worked with TOI and ET across multiple cities such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune and Ahmedabad.
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