Case: Nuka Stationery
Nuka is a startup created by three Ukrainian students, that produces everlasting stationery. A pen that writes with metal oxide and a notebook made of polymer paper conquered the stratosphere and returned to Earth, reaching an altitude of 31 km.
Launch summary
5 000 people
LAUNCH AUDIENCE
PRODUCT GIVEAWAY
PURPOSE OF THE PROMOTION
31 KM (103K FT)
Maximum altitude
42 KM / H
MAXIMUM SPEED
127 min
FLIGHT TIME
56 km
DISTANCE
CENTRAL UKRAINE
LOCATION
10.10.2018
Launch date
Notebook and Pen
Focal Object
Nuka
CUSTOMER
Launch video
The HAB (high-altitude balloon) reached an altitude of 31 km, flying 56 km from the launch site to landing.
Onboard cameras captured three hours of high-quality 4K video of Nuka products flying into space.
Nuka’s Instagram campaign was more than successful, with 10 lucky winners receiving pens that had visited space.
The idea of the Nuka promotion was to raffle among the startup’s Instagram subscribers everlasting pens that had flown to near space on board a HAB (high-altitude balloon).
Scientific component of the launch
During this flight, the Cosmos Agency Strato team tested a new radio beacon that transmits 4 channels of telemetry: coordinates, altitude, flight speed and temperature.
This data significantly increases the scientific potential of our launches and has become a mandatory component of them.
In addition, we set ourselves the task of reaching an altitude of 30 kilometers. No one in Ukraine has ever done this, especially with video in 4K quality.
«We have set ourselves the task of reaching an altitude of 30 kilometers»
Preparation
Preliminary preparations for the launch of Nuka began in early September 2018. We planned to launch the HAB (high-altitude balloon) while the weather was still good, in order to get a stable picture and simplify the vehicle search procedure.
Assembling a HAB
We developed the body in the FabLab laboratory.
The design that we developed together with the lab’s experts was very durable and perfect for launching.
Nuka metal pens were to fly on board as the payload and later be raffled among subscribers.
A suitable launch window opened closer to mid-October: these were the last warm, windless days, and we took advantage of the opportunity.
«An aeronautical warning about our launch has already been transmitted to aircraft in the sky»
Launch day
Having previously agreed on the time and place of launch with the relevant authorities, we loaded all the equipment into the car and set off early in the morning for the launch pad.
Despite the fact that the flight route of the HAB (high-altitude balloon) ran far from the routes of aircraft and populated areas, an aeronautical warning about our launch was transmitted to aircraft in the sky – safety first.
During the launch, the Cosmos Agency Strato team was joined by the well-known Instagram blogger and photographer Mykyta Bereh.
«The balloon flew upwards at a speed of 5 m/s, cheerfully cutting through the air and swaying a little»
The flight is normal
We got to the launch pad and started preparing: we filled the shell with helium, checked all the systems and turned on the cameras.
There was practically no wind and the balloon flew upwards at a speed of 5 m/s, cheerfully cutting through the air and swaying a little.
As soon as the HAB (high-altitude balloon) disappeared from view, we moved in the direction of the intended landing point.
The radio beacon regularly transmitted telemetry, and the cameras documented the flight of the Nuka notebook and pen into the stratosphere.
«The diameter of the balloon on the ground was about 3 meters; at peak altitude, just before the rupture, it was 12 m – the height of a three-story house»
Conquering the stratosphere
The HAB (high-altitude balloon) was rapidly gaining altitude and speed. The main thing now was to get the coordinates of the landing point.
Onboard cameras captured a notebook and pen against the background of the vast expanses of central Ukraine. Kyiv got into the frame; on the right you can see the Dnipro River, and somewhere far away the city of Dnipro.
Atmospheric pressure drops approximately 100 times as the HAB (high-altitude balloon) rises (at an altitude of 30 km), which expands the helium shell many times over.
The diameter of the balloon on the ground was about 3 meters; at peak altitude, just before the rupture, it was 12 m – the height of a three-story house.
Because the internal helium pressure exceeds the external pressure, the balloon walls cannot withstand the stress and burst.
And so it happened: at an altitude of 31,486 meters the balloon burst, after which the HAB (high-altitude balloon) began to dive down. The parachute gradually slowed the fall to 5 m/s.
«After flying 56 kilometers in an hour and a half, it landed in a field, just five meters from a small river and water reservoir»
Search
About two hours after the launch, we arrived in the area where the HAB (high-altitude balloon) signal was last received.
The HAB (high-altitude balloon) was somewhere nearby, but we couldn’t see it. Comparing our location and the coordinates of the probe, we came to the conclusion that it was on the opposite side of a small river.
Part of the team went after it. The HAB (high-altitude balloon) was already waiting for us, sprawled on the plowed ground.
The HAB (high-altitude balloon) was found intact and unharmed, and all that remained was to check the memory cards of the onboard cameras.
One of the cameras safely filmed the entire flight, but the second failed halfway. That is why we always install several cameras.
Result
Our goal was to pass the 30 km mark and test the radio beacon. In the end, we passed the 31 km mark, and the radio beacon performed excellently.
In total, the cameras shot three hours of high-quality 4K video of the flight of Nuka products in space.
The startup’s Instagram campaign was more than successful: 10 lucky winners received pens that had visited space.
Case: M1 Music Awards
The management of the M1 TV channel approached us with the idea of sending the M1 Music Awards 2018 statuette to the stratosphere to mark the awards ceremony for cultural and TV figures
STRATO
The Strato team launches high-altitude balloons for research and advertising purposes. High-altitude balloons are a multifunctional tool for scientific and marketing activities.
Our mission is to make near space accessible to everyone. Another of our priorities is developing the aerospace sector in Ukraine and abroad.
Address in Kyiv:
3-a Leiptsyzka St., Kyiv
Workshop:
Unit City, 1 Dorohozhytska St., Kyiv
