The Next Generation: How We’re Keeping Our Stratospheric Dreams Alive at Gdańsk Tech
It’s a special feeling to stand before the scientific community and share not just results, but a story of continuation. I’ve just returned from the beautiful city of Luzern, Switzerland, where the serene landscape of mountains and lakes was the perfect backdrop to talk about our latest chapter at the SimLE Science Association: life after the BEXUS programme.
Our paper, “LIFE AFTER BEXUS,” addresses a critical question many student projects face: What happens after the big mission? For us, after our successful Stardust project within the BEXUS programme, many senior members, myself included, were graduating. The challenge was to ensure the passion and knowledge for stratospheric exploration didn’t graduate with us.
We tackled this by recruiting a new generation of students from Gdańsk University of Technology and dividing our efforts. We formed SimLE Stardust NEXT, a team dedicated to evolving the technical platform of our balloons, and SimLE Science, focused on new experiments.
The new team, Stardust NEXT, embarked on their first training mission on February 27th, 2022. This flight was all about learning the ropes—literally. The payload was a simple radiosonde with a camera, but the real objective was mastering the complex procedures of a balloon launch, from ground preparations to the thrill of the chase and recovery.
A year of hard work later, on May 26th, 2023, Stardust NEXT launched their first self-designed mission. This flight tested a new Onboard Computer (OBC), communication systems, and a redesigned rigging and cutter mechanism. While the servo-based cutter system had a glitch due to rope tangling, the parachute deployed safely thanks to some clever foresight in the rigging design. This mission carried Paulownia tree seeds, which were later auctioned for charity—a wonderful touch!
The real test of their growth came on August 9th, 2023. The team launched a mission entirely on their own, carrying a new scientific payload named STORM. This experiment aimed to sample air from the stratosphere to study the migration of toxins, continuing our previous research themes. Although the new hot-wire cutter also failed to activate correctly, the mission was a huge success from a team-building and scientific perspective.
This success led to the formal merger of the technical and scientific teams, creating the SimLE STORMDUST project. I’m incredibly proud to say that this new, unified team submitted their concept to the REXUS/BEXUS programme and, on December 13th, 2023, were officially accepted into the 15th cycle! STORMDUST is the next evolution, aiming to create a comprehensive chemical and microbial map of the stratosphere.
Presenting this story in Luzern was a moment of pride. It showcased how systematic work, collaboration, and a commitment to mentorship can ensure a project’s legacy continues. The STORMDUST team is now poised to push the boundaries of our understanding of the stratosphere, and I can’t wait to see what they achieve.