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That balloon has a payload of up to 55lbs, so it follows different rules. WindBorne balloons are 1.1kg including the initial ballast. There are ADS-B transmitt
by ggreer 1y ago
That balloon has a payload of up to 55lbs, so it follows different rules. WindBorne balloons are 1.1kg including the initial ballast.
There are ADS-B transmitters that weigh 50 grams and would require 60 grams of batteries to power them for 8 hours, so payload limitations are not an issue for WindBorne.[1]
The CEO of WindBorne replied to a comment about the inability to use ADS-B on weather balloons saying, "Yea, the FAA does a lot and I think overall they do a great job, but I wish there was better systems for communications here."[2] So I'm reasonably confident that my understanding is correct.
1. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45660400 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45660400
2. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45660577 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45660577
- filleduchaos 1y agoSorry to drive by, but weather balloons like Windborne produces are deployed for a lot longer than eight hours. Many are up for more than two weeks, some even exceeding a month.