Supercluster sp. z o.o., a company specialising in stratospheric balloon control systems, has received €75,000 in funding to carry out the StratoRAD (Stratospheric Radiation Testing) project. The agreement was signed under the ESA Spark Funding Poland programme, managed by ESA Technology Broker Poland.
This initiative brings to market Europe’s first dedicated commercial service for in-situ testing of materials and components under stratospheric conditions representative of the space environment. Precise altitude control is provided by StratoNAV, Supercluster’s autonomous flight control system validated under ESA BIC Poland at TRL 6. The research platform, based on a latex stratospheric balloon, will enable prolonged exposure to ionising radiation and UV, extreme thermal cycling, and low pressure, with full flight monitoring and control throughout. The first demonstration is planned to test up to 12 samples simultaneously at altitudes of 2030 km above Earth. The system consists of a stratospheric segment – a latex balloon equipped with chambers for test samples – a control segment with advanced avionics enabling remote flight management and experiment monitoring, and a data segment responsible for the acquisition, analysis, and transmission of measurement data, including ionising radiation dose, UV intensity, and environmental parameters.
The project addresses the aerospace industry’s growing need for fast and accessible methods of new technology verification. StratoRAD enables assessment of the effects of ionising radiation and UV on materials and electronics, validation of component reliability under extreme stratospheric conditions, and supports TRL advancement, significantly reducing technical and financial risk. Through technology transfer within the ESA ecosystem, StratoRAD integrates proven components derived from space technologies. Key technology partners include 27G-Technology, supplying RadNanoPlus dosimeters used on board satellites, and sglux GmbH and ifw optronics GmbH, manufacturers of UV sensors whose technologies have demonstrated reliability in Mars missions, operating without failure on the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers.
StratoRAD also brings together the capabilities of Polish research institutions and technology companies, including the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ), the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences (CBK PAN), Rzeszów University of Technology (RUT), the University of Warsaw (UW), and the Girls in Aerospace Foundation (GIA). The industrial partner network includes Adaptronica, REA Space, Extremo Technologies, Sendivogius, Muotech, and Pelczar Paragliders.
StratoRAD complements the project portfolio developed by Supercluster:
- StratoNAV – a flight control system for latex balloons that transforms standard meteorological balloons into controllable stratospheric platforms
- StratoEYE – developed to demonstrate Earth observation capabilities from stratospheric platforms
- StratoPOD – fully automated balloon launch platform that replaces helium with locally produced hydrogen
- StratoSTEM – developing balloon technologies for educational and research purposes
Contact:
Supercluster sp. z o.o.
Al. Tadeusza Rejtana 20A, 35-310 Rzeszów
lets@supercluster.it | www.supercluster.it