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Stratospheric broadband trials implemented by the CAPANINA consortium have been successfully carried out in Sweden.

See photos lower down this page.

Video footage

Test site  (1:04 , 11M)

Preparing Optical and mm payloads  (1:18 , 13M)

Testing tracking system (2:43 , 28M)

Preparing for launch  (3:41 , 38M)

Inflating balloon and launching (7:02 , 72M)

Tracking (1:38, 17M)

Recovery  (1:42, 17M)

With support from the Swedish Space Centre at Estrange in northern Sweden stratospheric communication trials using a free floating balloon have taken place.

The 12,000 cubic metre balloon flew at an altitude of 24km for a duration of 9 hours allowing RF and optical trials to be conducted.

The lightweight, low-cost, high speed broadband wireless access radio link equipment was designed and developed by the University of York to operate in the mm-wave band (28/29GHz). This supported data rates of 11Mbit/s and throughputs up to 4Mbit/s, using WiFi (IEEE802.11b), at distances ranging up to 60km.

DLR (Germany) performed the first known optical 1,25 Gbit/s downlink form the stratosphere to an optical receiver on the ground over a maximum link distance of 64 km with nearly no transmission errors. This technique will be used for future inter platform and platform to satellite backhaul links.

CSEM (Switzerland) developed the ground signal tracking system, a cruicial part of the system required to maintain the communications link between the moving balloon and the ground.

CGS ( Italy ) coordinated the integration of the payloads and the trials activities.

Download a zipped package of photos

The test site in Estrange, Sweden.

Preparing to launch                                                  JPEG (2.5M)     

The integrated payload

mm-Wave and Optical payloads

mm-Wave and Optical ground tracking equipment

Acknowledgement to Andy White ( University of York) and Joachim Horwath (DLR) for the photography.

CAPANINA aims to deliver wireless broadband at speeds of up to 120Mbits/second from aerial platforms such that rural, suburban and moving users can have cost effective broadband communications. The ultimate aim is to have a number of High Altitude Platforms placed in the stratosphere at altitudes of around 20km such that one platform can serve a region around 60km across.