Tue 10th November 2020Experimental Platform
TAO Tech UK, UKLSL and Alta Range have formed a collaboration to deliver high altitude experimental platforms for industry R&D and academic research. The platforms will include tethered balloons operating up to 1km above sea level, autonomous airships up to 15km and a stratospheric system above 20km. Researchers will be able to access these environments direct from the UK at low-cost in order to drive innovation across a variety of industries such as telecommunications, semiconductor devices, remote sensing and quantum technology. The platforms will host customer payloads up to 120kg, with future stratospheric platforms capable of hosting up to 1 tonne.
Potential sites for the operations have been identified in Scotland and the North East of England, with two preferred sites soon to be down selected for initial operations.
The consortium is also working with VRAI, a provider of immersive simulation technology and AI, to develop a telexistence capability for the platform. This capability will eventually extend to an orbital platform enabling cutting edge in-space experimentation from facilities based in the UK.
“This will be a fantastic opportunity for UK industry and academia to benefit from specialist R&D facilities in the north of the UK and build on UKLSL’s national STEM impact, such as the Mach-21 Cansat competition”
www.spaceevents.info, Andy Grey Director UKLSL.
“We welcome the development of this exciting collaboration which utilises TAO’s longstanding experience with airborne platforms including its HAPs development program. The prospects of working with such technologically advanced payloads can only be beneficial for all concerned”
Glenn Jones Managing Director, TAO TECH UK www.taotechuk.com