Internet Balloon: Telemetry Test ~ Harbor Beach, Michigan
June 18th, 2022
Utilizing a Spark.io Photon Board and a custom microsatellite for a range transmission and extension network, was the deployment of a test internet balloon system for a tethered telemetry test. We had to utilize multiple party tanks of helium (about 11), given there was a nationwide helium shortage at the time (please do not do or try this). Once the balloon was deployed, we were able to land it back safely and release the helium out of the balloon for any potential relaunch.
Aquatic Wireless Networks: Telemetry Test ~ Port Huron, Michigan
July 16th, 2022
Stark Drones tested aquatic wireless networks and various modules. The best signal strength result in relation to the LoRaWAN transmission was -75 dBm. There are various other networking protocols and range extenders in play here as well. The full hardware setup does include ESP8266 WiFi modules, Lightweight BLE, a module for UART, and a 4G PHAT as well as the involvement of a relay switch. This was tested on July 16th, 2022 at Port Huron, Michigan at the Lakeside Beach and Park.
Stark Drones: Compute Module
The compute module utilizes a variety of different parts, and is the successor to ChainBoard with added signal logic. This module will power data transmission as well as be the full on data logger and controller for lots of Stark Drones launches. It utilizes a signal computing method which is patent-pending under 17/882587 as of August 7th, 2022. The founder of Stark Drones also created various other related IP in (direct and indirect) relation to the software and hardware configurations of this compute module.
Water Harvesting Device
This is an overview of the water harvesting device. It is a solar-powered device that stores energy into a generator (or battery back), and powers up an air compressor which is utilized to push air into a radiator in a closed loop system. It is essentially a type of reverse HVAC system.
Space Plane Device v1.0
The Space Plane's modular design is patent pending under US 29/852,695. This device features a dual propulsion system. The prototype in total can stand at an estimated 14' tall, and also built is a 3D printed stand. This provides a nice introduction to some of the more advanced research and prototypes Stark Drones will be working on.
Hoverboard Prototype v1.0
The Hoverboard also known as an "Aeronautical Propulsion Board" is patent pending under US 29/861,864. The cushioning and powerup systems are in progress and this is in experimentation mode. It uses household/common parts for the first phase build. Also, worth noting primarily is that the coiling mechanism is based off the concept of Ionic Airlift Propulsion, and compressed air energy storage may be utilized as part of the cooling system. More update videos might by made in the future, but this is currently very experimental.
Equity Crowdfunding Trailer
Stark Drones have been wanting to do equity crowdfunding. This is the trailer for their first trial at it. Please read all the disclosures in the video description. This is on this site as a "launch portfolio" item as well. None of what is read here is meant to be taken as any form of investment advice or as for solicitation of any form of investment.
Internet Balloon: Telemetry Test v2 ~ Harbor Beach, Michigan
September 21st, 2024
We employed the same electronic components from our earlier launch; however, this time they were removed from their casing and wrapped in an effort to reduce the overall weight of the payload. Ultimately, the larger balloon was required. The objective of this tethered telemetry test was to reach an elevation of 1500ft. During the test, we aimed to gather network packet data and utilized third-party applications alongside ChirpStack, including Wireshark.
Stark Compute Module v2
The Stark Compute Module v2.0 represents an updated iteration of the most recent design of the Stark Compute Module, which has successfully reduced the dimensions of its gateway and compact CubeSat computing system. The system, previously measuring 5 inches by 5 inches, has now been downsized to 3.15 inches by 2.17 inches.