The
SCoPEx Research team has
announced the timing and
location for a proposed
platform test in Sweden in
June 2021. This balloon
flight would be managed by
Swedish
Space Corporation
(SSC),
flying out of Esrange
Space Center in Kiruna,
Sweden. This test would not be the experiment itself
but rather a test of the
SCoPEx platform without
the release of any
particles. Specifically,
the Research Team would
like to test the gondola’s
horizontal and vertical
control using the winch
system and propellers as
well as the power, data,
navigation, and
communication systems.
They would not release any
aerosols, nor fly an
aerosol injection/release
system. Still, they will not proceed with this flight
without a formal
recommendation authorizing
the flight from the
Advisory Committee to
Harvard management. You
can learn more about the
Research Team's proposed
platform launch here.
The
Committee intends to
complete financial, legal,
and technical soundness
reviews by the 15th of
February 2021 at which
point a decision will be
made to either recommend
or advise against the
flight. To learn more
about the decision to
contract with SSC and the
upcoming committee
processes, please visit
the Committee’s
website. We
have documented the Research
Team’s Request, the
Committee’s
Response, and
the Research
Team’s follow-up
here, and will continue to
update our mailing list as
the reviews are completed.
Thanks
again for your interest in
the SCoPEx Advisory
Committee’s work.
Best,
Sally
Klimp
Executive Coordinator of
the SCoPEx Advisory
Committee
