"Meteorological balloon launched to 23 km tested LIP technology for ESA mission."
On October 22, 2024, a meteorological balloon was launched from the Bissaya Barreto Municipal Aerodrome in Coimbra in a joint mission between LIP and the Pollux initiative, led by students from the University of Coimbra (Junior Initiative). This launch marked a significant milestone for the THOR project, an international collaboration led by LIP and the Department of Physics at the University of Coimbra, with support from the University of Beira Interior, the Portuguese Space Agency, and the European Space Agency (ESA).
The balloon, which reached an altitude of 23 km, tested the THOR mission’s power subsystem in real-world conditions, facing low temperatures and extreme pressures similar to those that the mission will encounter in orbit. The objective of this initiative was to validate critical technologies for the THOR-SR mission (TGF and High-energy astrophysics Observatory for gamma-Rays), which will be launched aboard the Space Rider, ESA's new reusable vehicle.
During the two-hour flight, which concluded in Pedrógão Grande, crucial data on temperature, pressure, communication, and fault management of the onboard systems were collected. These data will be analyzed by LIP’s team to fine-tune and validate the equipment's performance. This experience serves as preparation for the Space Rider launch in 2027, a mission featuring CdTe and Si detectors for studying gamma-ray astrophysics, the orbital radiation environment, and atmospheric gamma-ray flashes.
The THOR mission represents a significant advancement for space science and technology, with LIP playing a key role in developing new instruments to observe high-energy phenomena in space and Earth's atmosphere.
