Medusa - Monitoring Equipment and Devices for Unmanned Systems at high Altitude
An ultra light weight multi-spectral camera for a high altitude long endurance (HALE) UAV
The ESA-PRODEX funded MEDUSA project aims to develop a light weight high resolution multi-spectral earth observation instrument, which will be embarked on a solar-powered HALE UAV. MEDUSA is part of the Pegasus program, set up by VITO to demonstrate the feasibility of remote sensing from a HALE UAV.
The MEDUSA instrument is designed to fill the gap between traditional airborne and spaceborne instruments regarding resolution and coverage. It targets applications such as disaster management and cartography, requiring high resolution images with regional coverage, flexible flight patterns, high update rates and long mission lengths. Ultimately the HALE UAV platform will be equipped with a variety of light weight high resolution remote sensing instruments. The synergy of the onboard sensors will allow continuous observations, irrespective of light or weather conditions.
The HALE UAV is operated at stratospheric altitudes (15 to 18km) and is extremely light-weight, imposing severe restrictions on the weight and operational environment of the MEDUSA instrument. A phase B preliminary design has been performed to investigate the feasibility of the top-level requirements under the given physical and environmental constraints. The results have shown that the top-level requirements of the MEDUSA camera can be met within the given constraints. On 27th November 2006 the phase C/D for the design, production and test of the camera has started at VITO with the support of 9 industrial partners. The MEDUSA camera is expected to be fully integrated and ground tested by autumn 2010.
|
Solar plane flies into the night : A lightweight solar-powered plane has smashed the official world record for the longest-duration unmanned flight. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6916309.stm |
|
Currently the various subsystems have been manufactured, assembled and are under test. Figure 1 shows the 24 MPix wide swath CMOS sensor. The optical system has been tested at room temperature and in representative thermal-vacuum conditions. GPS system, data transmission equipment and power unit is available for integration, which planned for spring 2010. |
