Pegasus
Description
|
PEGASUS – Mercator |
| Acquisition of a solar HALE UAV |
| Contact |
Jurgen Everaerts |
Start (End) Date |
15/06/2005
(-) |
| Consortium |
2 partners |
Project Coordination |
VITO |
| Website |
- |
Related Projects |
MEDUSA,OSIRIS,
Puerto Rico |
| Keywords |
platform, high altitude, revision rate, innovation |
Project Objectives
Traditional Remote Sensing platforms (satellites or manned aircraft) are not able to provide sufficient service for increased market demand (requirements for more detailed data with higher update rates).
A solar High Altitude Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is an innovative solution for this problem: it is a local geostationary system, able to acquire very high resolution imagery at very short notice with up to hourly updates.
The Mercator platform is one of only a few aircraft with this ability.
Methodology
The aircraft (and its control system) is built by the leader in solar HALE UAV technology, QinetiQ. This will be integrated with a remote sensing instrument, MEDUSA.
(Expected) Results
- Flight duration: weeks to months
- Flight altitude : 14 km AMSL
VITO Contribution
- Project coordination
- Assistance to QinetiQ to obtain Permit to Fly from Belgian Civil Aviation Authority
Partners
- QinetiQ Space nv (Belgium)
- QinetiQ (United Kingdom)
Illustration
Mercator assembled at Bertrix airbase, waiting to fly
Contact:
Jurgen Everaerts
Tel. + 32 14 33 68 34
Mobile + 32 473 73 18 51
Send a message to Jurgen Everaerts
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