Branding
Vaan Mithra
Raspberry Pi-based HAB satellite system integrating hyperspectral imaging, aerosol sensing, CO₂ and air-quality monitoring, GPS, IMU, and LoRa telemetry for atmospheric data collection and remote monitoring.
Year :
2024
Industry :
Event / Festival
Client :
Space
Project Duration :
6 weeks
Problem :
High-altitude atmospheric monitoring — vegetation health via spectral imaging, aerosol concentration tracking, and CO2/air-quality sensing — is typically locked behind expensive satellite or scientific balloon programs. These capabilities are usually split across separate costly instruments, each needing its own hardware and calibration expertise. Students and small teams rarely get hands-on access to real atmospheric science data. Existing low-cost balloon kits are mostly single-purpose, tracking only GPS or altitude. This leaves a gap between classroom theory and practical, affordable experimental validation.
Solution :
Vaan Mithra combines three independent payloads on one high-altitude balloon platform: a Hyperspectral Imager (DVD grating + Pi Camera for 400–900 nm NDVI imaging), an Aerosol Radiative Impact Sensor (filtered LDR pairs measuring scattered vs. direct sunlight), and a CO2 Monitoring Payload (MQ135 with BME280/HTU21D for gas, temperature, humidity, and pressure). All three share a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W as the main compute unit and a Pi Pico as hardware co-processor. Data is logged locally and transmitted live via SX1278 LoRa radio at 433 MHz to a ground station. This creates one integrated, low-cost, reusable atmospheric science platform.
Challenge :
Power regulation across multiple 3.3V and 5V components is critical — an overvoltage above 5.5V can permanently destroy the Pi Zero 2W. Building the hyperspectral imager's optics (a hand-cut 0.1 mm slit, precise DVD-grating alignment, and fluorescent-light wavelength calibration) demands careful manual precision. All I2C sensors share a single bus, so address conflicts or wiring errors can silently corrupt readings. The MQ135 gas sensor needs a 48-hour burn-in and manual R0 calibration, or its CO2 readings will be inaccurate. High-altitude conditions (cold, low pressure, vibration) stress the foam enclosure and hand-soldered joints, which must survive the flight without repair. LoRa range and reliability also depend heavily on antenna placement and line-of-sight during actual flight.
Summary :
Vaan Mithra is a student-built high-altitude balloon satellite carrying three payloads — hyperspectral imaging, aerosol sensing, and CO2/air-quality monitoring — to altitudes of 20,000–35,000 m. It runs on a shared architecture: a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W as the brain, a Pi Pico as co-processor, and SX1278 LoRa for ground telemetry. Each payload has dedicated sensors, signal conditioning, and its own calibration process, all powered through a common regulated power backbone. The project blends imaging, optics, gas sensing, embedded programming, and RF communication into one low-cost (~₹9,450–15,000) system. It's a strong hands-on demonstration of systems-level engineering spanning multiple domains.
More Projects
Branding
Vaan Mithra
Raspberry Pi-based HAB satellite system integrating hyperspectral imaging, aerosol sensing, CO₂ and air-quality monitoring, GPS, IMU, and LoRa telemetry for atmospheric data collection and remote monitoring.
Year :
2024
Industry :
Event / Festival
Client :
Space
Project Duration :
6 weeks
Problem :
High-altitude atmospheric monitoring — vegetation health via spectral imaging, aerosol concentration tracking, and CO2/air-quality sensing — is typically locked behind expensive satellite or scientific balloon programs. These capabilities are usually split across separate costly instruments, each needing its own hardware and calibration expertise. Students and small teams rarely get hands-on access to real atmospheric science data. Existing low-cost balloon kits are mostly single-purpose, tracking only GPS or altitude. This leaves a gap between classroom theory and practical, affordable experimental validation.
Solution :
Vaan Mithra combines three independent payloads on one high-altitude balloon platform: a Hyperspectral Imager (DVD grating + Pi Camera for 400–900 nm NDVI imaging), an Aerosol Radiative Impact Sensor (filtered LDR pairs measuring scattered vs. direct sunlight), and a CO2 Monitoring Payload (MQ135 with BME280/HTU21D for gas, temperature, humidity, and pressure). All three share a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W as the main compute unit and a Pi Pico as hardware co-processor. Data is logged locally and transmitted live via SX1278 LoRa radio at 433 MHz to a ground station. This creates one integrated, low-cost, reusable atmospheric science platform.
Challenge :
Power regulation across multiple 3.3V and 5V components is critical — an overvoltage above 5.5V can permanently destroy the Pi Zero 2W. Building the hyperspectral imager's optics (a hand-cut 0.1 mm slit, precise DVD-grating alignment, and fluorescent-light wavelength calibration) demands careful manual precision. All I2C sensors share a single bus, so address conflicts or wiring errors can silently corrupt readings. The MQ135 gas sensor needs a 48-hour burn-in and manual R0 calibration, or its CO2 readings will be inaccurate. High-altitude conditions (cold, low pressure, vibration) stress the foam enclosure and hand-soldered joints, which must survive the flight without repair. LoRa range and reliability also depend heavily on antenna placement and line-of-sight during actual flight.
Summary :
Vaan Mithra is a student-built high-altitude balloon satellite carrying three payloads — hyperspectral imaging, aerosol sensing, and CO2/air-quality monitoring — to altitudes of 20,000–35,000 m. It runs on a shared architecture: a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W as the brain, a Pi Pico as co-processor, and SX1278 LoRa for ground telemetry. Each payload has dedicated sensors, signal conditioning, and its own calibration process, all powered through a common regulated power backbone. The project blends imaging, optics, gas sensing, embedded programming, and RF communication into one low-cost (~₹9,450–15,000) system. It's a strong hands-on demonstration of systems-level engineering spanning multiple domains.
More Projects
Branding
Vaan Mithra
Raspberry Pi-based HAB satellite system integrating hyperspectral imaging, aerosol sensing, CO₂ and air-quality monitoring, GPS, IMU, and LoRa telemetry for atmospheric data collection and remote monitoring.
Year :
2024
Industry :
Event / Festival
Client :
Space
Project Duration :
6 weeks
Problem :
High-altitude atmospheric monitoring — vegetation health via spectral imaging, aerosol concentration tracking, and CO2/air-quality sensing — is typically locked behind expensive satellite or scientific balloon programs. These capabilities are usually split across separate costly instruments, each needing its own hardware and calibration expertise. Students and small teams rarely get hands-on access to real atmospheric science data. Existing low-cost balloon kits are mostly single-purpose, tracking only GPS or altitude. This leaves a gap between classroom theory and practical, affordable experimental validation.
Solution :
Vaan Mithra combines three independent payloads on one high-altitude balloon platform: a Hyperspectral Imager (DVD grating + Pi Camera for 400–900 nm NDVI imaging), an Aerosol Radiative Impact Sensor (filtered LDR pairs measuring scattered vs. direct sunlight), and a CO2 Monitoring Payload (MQ135 with BME280/HTU21D for gas, temperature, humidity, and pressure). All three share a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W as the main compute unit and a Pi Pico as hardware co-processor. Data is logged locally and transmitted live via SX1278 LoRa radio at 433 MHz to a ground station. This creates one integrated, low-cost, reusable atmospheric science platform.
Challenge :
Power regulation across multiple 3.3V and 5V components is critical — an overvoltage above 5.5V can permanently destroy the Pi Zero 2W. Building the hyperspectral imager's optics (a hand-cut 0.1 mm slit, precise DVD-grating alignment, and fluorescent-light wavelength calibration) demands careful manual precision. All I2C sensors share a single bus, so address conflicts or wiring errors can silently corrupt readings. The MQ135 gas sensor needs a 48-hour burn-in and manual R0 calibration, or its CO2 readings will be inaccurate. High-altitude conditions (cold, low pressure, vibration) stress the foam enclosure and hand-soldered joints, which must survive the flight without repair. LoRa range and reliability also depend heavily on antenna placement and line-of-sight during actual flight.
Summary :
Vaan Mithra is a student-built high-altitude balloon satellite carrying three payloads — hyperspectral imaging, aerosol sensing, and CO2/air-quality monitoring — to altitudes of 20,000–35,000 m. It runs on a shared architecture: a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W as the brain, a Pi Pico as co-processor, and SX1278 LoRa for ground telemetry. Each payload has dedicated sensors, signal conditioning, and its own calibration process, all powered through a common regulated power backbone. The project blends imaging, optics, gas sensing, embedded programming, and RF communication into one low-cost (~₹9,450–15,000) system. It's a strong hands-on demonstration of systems-level engineering spanning multiple domains.