Communications
Critical Requirements
- Terra-bytes of data to the scientists over a 100 day mission
- Return data often enough to ensure mission success if payload is lost
- Command and control requirements will very according to science:
- Range from autonomous operations to near real time command and control
- Near constant knowledge of balloon craft position required for safety
Enabled Science
- Solar studies
- Interferometers
- Downward looking imagers
- All Polar flights - in data and in command and control
Technologies under consideration
- Polar TDRS coverage and LEO polar communications satellites
- TDRS demand access capability
- New commercial communications systems being put in place in the next five years
- Data storage and drop