AERONOVA continues stratospheric launches

On August 11, 2025, the AERONOVA team launched a long-endurance drifting stratospheric balloon near the city of Kirov.

The team aimed to test a technology that allows the balloon to maintain a set of target altitudes. In this mode, it can self-stabilize and remain within a designated area, enabling the platform to serve as a communications relay, provide internet access, or monitor conditions on the ground.

The flight also trialed a new dual-envelope system: there are now two envelopes, one setting the upper flight boundary and the other the lower. This technology creates an "altitude corridor" within which the balloon will stabilize, drifting with the winds yet staying within the required zone.

The balloon reached an equilibrium altitude of 22,300 m and remained aloft for about 17 hours instead of the planned 48, landing close to the launch site.

"The dual pressure-envelope configuration was tested for the first time, and the result did not disappoint us. For the sake of experimental rigor, the team deliberately did not use additional altitude-control mechanisms. We know that with them the vehicle would become more predictable, but to validate the calculations it was important to test the design without auxiliary tools," commented Dmitry Khmel, chief scientist at AERONOVA.

Using the data obtained, the specialists will refine the mathematical models and continue the experiment.

*The translation is done with the help of artificial intelligence.