NIBONG TEBAL, PENANG, 8 May 2014 – A group of final year students in the Spacecraft Designing programme, School of Aerospace Engineering (SAE), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) together with SAE Dean, Profesor Dr. Zaidi Mohd Ripin launched a High Altitude Balloon (HAB) yesterday.

High altitude balloons are unmanned balloons, often filled with helium or hydrogen gas, and are launched to the stratospheric layer of an altitude of about 100,000 feet or 32 kilometre.

The launch is the result of satellite design project that required students to equip themselves with knowledge and skills in management, acquiring experience in satellite designing and fabrication basing on the design that has been planned.

“This project started in April 2013. This is the first HAB project in Malaysia involving the retrieval of payload. The objectives of the payload of this project are the taking of aerial photographs and the collection of atmospheric scientific data,” said SAE lecturer, Dr Norilmi Amilia Ismail.

The payload for the HAB mission consisted of two cameras to photograph the Earth’s horizon, sensors to capture the atmospheric physical data and a GPS to track the payload.

“The HAB that was launched today has successfully landed in the sea within 30 miles of Tanjung Piandang, Kedah. The balloon’s course, till its landing, took 3 hours and 20 minutes and it went well without any damage. The students will analyse the data retrieved,” added Norilmi.

The project has taken students beyond mere designing on paper at an affordable cost thus bridging the gap between industry and university. In this project, students work in groups to build a satellite subsystem that can carry and support the payload.

“We are required to design a subsystem from the beginning and through the various phases of assessment practiced by the spacecraft manufacturing industry. The students also have the opportunity to gain knowledge with visits and collaboration with the industry, especially the Meteorological Department that provided advice and guidance in the handling of the balloon and verification of the balloon’s route,” said Lim Kah Wee, a SAE final year student and HAB project director.

“Apart from the outside assistance, we also obtained advice from the staff at the School of Mechanical Engineering, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and received assistance in conducting thermal testing at the School of Chemical Engineering,” Lim added.

The students also cooperated with Syarikat K Foil Insulation (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. which sponsored equipment for the thermal control system in the payload. Moreover, they have also sought for funds by creating public sponsorship webpage (crowd-funding) and managed to raise some money for the project. - Translation: Yong Check Yoon/Text: Dr Norilmi Amilia Ismail & Nor Rafizah Md Zain/Photo: Mohamad Danial Shahri and Yong Check Yoon