Survey of GNC sensors suitable for hybrid stratospheric platform applications

Abstract

The stratosphere has been receiving increasing interest by the aerospace industry due to its characteristics which make it a particularly suitable environment for performing missions that require proximity to and persistence over a specific area. Among the various available autonomous platforms, airships have proven to be the most effective in terms of cost, reliability, payload mass capacity and endurance. In order to overcome the limitations of typical airships, a novel configuration has been proposed: hybrid airships. By generating the lifting force through both aerostatics and aerodynamics, it is possible to carry even larger payloads without having to significantly increase the hull size. The purpose of this work is to provide a survey on the state of the art of GNC sensors, specifically for hybrid stratospheric platforms. The paper will provide a selection of suitable sensor technologies among those available, including air data sensors which are a fundamental source of information for the safe and effective operation of a hybrid platform.