World View Enterprises Inc.

Urban Sky Theory Inc.

Urban Sky, LLC

Ampere Inc.

Jared Leidich

Taber Kyle MacCallum

Sebastian Padilla

John Straus

John Zaniel Maccagnano

Andrew F Antonio

Maxmillion J W McLaughlin

Mitch Sweeney

Daniel W McFatter

Nolan G Smith

Robert Alan Eustace

Grant Shi

Chase Larson

George Du

Reid Covington

Julian R Nott

Daniel Pieter Jacobus Blignaut

Maxmillion James West McLaughlin

Mitchell W Sweeney

Jacob H Dang

Sreenivasan Shankarnarayan

G Ryan Lee

Rodger Farley

Ty Bowen

Iain Beveridge

Tim Basta

Mark Allen Robertson

Kyler Quinn Felton

Nathan Henault

Sebastian A Padilla

An example reusable high-altitude balloon system includes a balloon with a first end supporting a payload and a second end with an aperture and an apex fitting that is positioned within the aperture. A clamp applies a pressure to a plurality of pleated folds formed in the perimeter of the aperture around the apex fitting to form an air-tight seal against the balloon at the perimeter of the aperture. The reusable high-altitude balloon system further includes control circuitry that controllably releases the apex fitting from the balloon to initiate a descent sequence.

Reusable balloon system

High-altitude balloon

Balloon systems, such as for remote sensing activities in the upper atmosphere, having a dual fault tolerant termination system, which provide high-reliability termination. The balloon systems described herein include a primary termination device and a secondary termination device, each of the termination devices configured to provide allow lift gas expulsion while maintaining the integrity of the balloon envelope, to allow for possible reuse of the envelope. The primary termination device has long-range communication capability, to receive instructions from a ground-based command, and also has short-range communication capability, to communicate with the secondary termination device.

High-reliability flight termination system for balloon systems

Small volume, zero pressure balloon systems for remote sensing activities in the upper atmosphere. A balloon system includes an air ingestion clip proximate the nadir fitting to inhibit air ingestion during ascent, the clip releasing to allow air expulsion at a predetermined altitude. Another balloon system includes a parachute system having inflation guards that inhibit the parachute from inflating when inverted during ascent and float, the guards releasing to allow parachute inflation during descent.

Anti-inflation parachute guard

A system enabling safe manned and unmanned operations at extremely high altitudes (above 70,000 feet). The system utilizes a balloon launch system and parachute and/or parafoil recovery.

Near-space operation systems

Described herein are features for a high altitude lighter-than-air (LTA) system and associated methods. A zero-pressure balloon (ZPB) is attached in tandem with one or more air super-pressure balloons (SPB). The ZPB provides lift for the system while the SPB may provide a variable amount of ballast air by pumping in or expelling out ambient air. Various advanced performance targets relating to ascent rate, descent rate, range and maximum altitude are achievable with various scaled versions of the basic design of the LTA system. Advanced navigation and control techniques, such as more efficient high altitude station-keeping approaches, made possible with the LTA system are also described.

High altitude balloon systems and methods

A method for creating a composite image includes receiving a group of images indexed according to a time-consecutive capture sequence. Each image is evaluated for inclusion in the composite image, and the evaluation of each image entails determining whether a spatial footprint of the image is entirely internal to a polygon formed based on a union of spatial footprints corresponding to images positioned on a same side of the image within the time-consecutive capture sequence. If the spatial footprint of the image is not entirely internal to the polygon, an identifier for the image is added to a composite image array. Otherwise, the identifier for the image is excluded from the composite image array. After all images have been evaluated, the composite image is created by stitching together images with respective identifiers included in the composite image array.

Composite image creation for aerial image capture system

An example method for launching a high-altitude balloon includes securing a launch collar around a balloon envelope to form a choke point separating an upper portion of the balloon envelope from a lower portion of the balloon envelope. The balloon envelope is structurally secured to a launch platform via a tether that is coupled to the launch collar. The launch collar is configured such that release of the launch collar from the choke point releases the balloon envelope from the launch platform.

Launch system for lighter-than-air-balloons

Balloon

Wireless charger

Small zero pressure balloon systems

Growing community of inventors

Denver, CO, United States of America

Jared Leidich