Proposed TRA for Sample Return Capsule stratospheric balloon drop

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    Closed consultation
    National NT
    Start 13/04/2023
    AEST 10:00
    End 26/04/2023
    AEST 17:00

    Submit feedback to

    Ravi  Sood
    Balloon Launching Staiton, Alice Springs; operated by UNSW Canberra

    Seeking feedback on a proposed temporary restricted area (TRA) for a stratospheric balloon drop-test over the Simpson Desert.

    The issue

    An Airspace Change Proposal has been submitted to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for this project. The balloon flight and drop-test will last 7 hours on only one day between 20 April to 15 May 2023. The payload and balloon will be recovered from the terrain within the landing zone immediately after the drop-test has been completed.

    Purpose

    A drop test of a space capsule from a stratospheric balloon is proposed. The balloon flight will be launched from Alice Springs airport, and will last up to 7 hours. When the balloon has floated to the area pre-selected for optimum safety, the capsule will be released from a height of 39 kilometres. This exercise will be carried out in an area over the Simpson Desert to ensure the safety of aviation users and population in and near the drop zone. A TRA has been requested for this area to best mitigate the risk. The balloon will then return to Earth separately.

    • The airspace change has been proposed in the following landing zone to ensure safety of airspace users and land population (as shown in Figure 1 and 2):
      • 1360600E 232000S - 1365000E 232000S - 1371000E 240000S - 1370000E 243000S - 1360000E 243000S - 1354500E 240000S - 1354500E 233000S - 1360600E 233000S
    • The day before the drop-test, aircraft surveillance of the zone will help ensure public safety
    • The balloon flight and drop-test will be carried out following approval from air traffic control
    • A recovery crew will recover the hardware and balloon from the area immediately following completion of the drop-test
    • Further information on both the TRA and the drop-test can be found in the documentation below.
    Enroute chart low TRA overlay
    Figure 1: Enroute Chart Low with proposed TRA overlay
    Enroute chart high TRA overlay
    Figure 2: Enroute Chart High with proposed TRA overlay

     

    Submitted by

    Ravi Sood
    Balloon Launching Station, Alice Springs; operated by UNSW Canberra
    r.sood@adfa.edu.au

    Relevant documentation

    13 April 2023
    13 April 2023