Persistently Elevated Gas-free Aerostatic Sensor Utility System (PEGASUS)

Anuma Aerospace is developing the Persistently-Elevated, Gas-free, Aerostatic Sensor Utility System (PEGASUS), which will work like a data buoy in the sky, continuously collecting and transmitting weather data from the marine atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) with the data being made available via application programming interface (API) on the (internet) cloud. This is being accomplished through using Anuma Aerospace’s patented, Partial-Vacuum Lift (PVL) cell as the aerostatic lift component with onboard photovoltaic equipment and batteries to provide power to onboard systems, including weather data sensors, communications equipment, vacuum pump for buoyancy control, and a semi-autonomous control system. The main technical advantages of the PVL cell are the ability to vary aerostatic lift and therefore altitude by varying the internal pressure, the ability to maintain long-term persistence, and the elimination of expensive, non-renewable helium lifting gas. PEGASUS is intended to remain aloft for up to two years between maintenance intervals with the semi-autonomous control system navigating winds and air currents to remain within predefined boundaries within the marine ABL. In Phase II, we anticipate being able to develop, bench test, and field test all of the required electric and electronic subsystems for the successful operation of PEGASUS, as well as develop primary PVL cell component test articles and evaluate them for their strength and integrity under load. One of the primary implications of an airborne weather sensor platform having long-duration persistence while continuously recording and transmitting high-quality weather data from the marine ABL is that the meteorological and climate science communities will have never-before-available marine ABL data for assimilation into meteorological and climate models. The wider implications will be the ability to launch a global PEGASUS network that will provide a wealth of atmospheric weather data at various altitudes in quantities and at costs not attainable with helium balloons or heavier-than-air, unmanned aerial systems (UASs). Development of this system will allow Anuma Aerospace to tap into the more than $13 billion global weather information market, as well as proving out our patented PVL cell technology, which has applications in the broader lighter-than-air industry.