Satellites to human contribution is quite large, covered the satellite positioning and navigation, weather forecast, satellite phones, and both use the satellites, but the cost of launching a satellite is also high in the past to launch a satellite rocket could cost $ 40 million to go to of the spectrum, the Swiss will come up with airplanes carrying satellites into orbit two-stage approach, the estimated cost for the rocket launch quarter, but still more than $ 10 million.
New Ventures Aerospace Titan (Titan Aerospace) intends to use the "atmospheric satellites" to replace the expensive satellite, called "atmospheric satellites" is solar-powered high-altitude unmanned aircraft, named Solara 50 and Solara 60.
Talked about the high-altitude unmanned aircraft, we will directly think, is the U.S. military in use with the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles and other military, but the Global Hawk's voyage only 20,005 one thousand kilometers, no way to do a lap around the Earth (equatorial circumference of about 40,000 km), so you can continue to be operated "atmospheric satellites", unmanned aerial vehicles have increased first voyage.
So think of Titan aerospace powered by solar energy, on the wing covered 3,000 solar cells, generating capacity 7kw, daytime excess power stored in lithium batteries for use at night, this way, depending on the electronic parts and batteries extent of the loss of an estimated one can launch life for five years, before returning to the ground for maintenance.
Solara altitude of nearly 20 kilometers high, you can load 70 pounds (about 31.75 kg) of equipment that can be used to monitor climate change, monitoring trends in forest fires, monitoring and control of drug delivery of drugs, as well as aerial photos taken, etc. .
Since no expensive rockets, using Solara could cost can be less than $ 2,000,000, Titan's chief aerospace electronics engineer Dustin Sanders In an interview with Forbes interview even said, the goal is to achieve a UAV just $ 100 , and once after liftoff, the use of solar energy, endurance cost is almost zero, as long as the burden of monitoring the personnel costs can be.
If the attempt is successful aerospace Titan, the existing satellite-related features that may have room for price cuts, may open a wave of new applications, let us wait and see!
http://www.youtube.com/embed/If8MODnvjhw
(Photo credit: Titan Aerospace)
