(Thumbnail by Darrin Vanselow for PME)
Regulations: The system is considered as a normal radiosonde/weather balloon in Switzerland and in the US already. Thus the same rules as for normal radiosondes applies. In Switzerland, no special permission is required to launch a balloon with a payload of less than 2kg, and a volume of less than 30m^3, from more than 5km away from any airport or restricted area. A special insurance is required for payloads of more than 500g. More than 800'000 radiosonde of similar weight and size are launched every year all around the world.
What is it? This is a 240g glider returning to home after releasing from a weather balloon at 30'000m altitude. The ascent time is 100min and the descent time between 35 and 45min depending on the day. The landing accuracy is roughly 30m. The glider is completely autonomous.
Project update: after 5 years of work. The technical challenge is solved. The reusable radiosonde is ready. After exploring guided parachutes for 4 years it that appears the added complexity of the parachute deployment is a bit too high.
I integrated all the software and electronics developed for the guided parachute in an ultralight glider: small and light enough to fit in the same category as standard radiosondes, yet smart enough to come back to launch site on most days.
More infos about the next step soon here: r2ho.me