Weather
Weather predictions, as observed 24 hours prior to the planned launch time, for the launch site must predict:
- Wind speeds and/or wind gusts of no greater than 10 mph
- Cloud cover of no more than 50%
- Chance of precipitation of greater than 70%
- Temperatures of no less than 250 F
Ground Conditions
The ground conditions must be conducive to a successful recovery effort. The following requirements are designed to ensure that vehicles and/or participants are be able to access the landing site in a safe and timely manner on the same day of launch:
- All local roads are open and passable with two wheel drive vehicles
- No standing water puddles or excess snow pack in recovery area
Trajectory Prediction/Planning
The trajectory of the flight path is primarily dependent on the wind speed and direction in the jet stream. In order to ensure a successful launch, the payload must land in an area that is easily accessible to the recovery team and the launch and recovery efforts must be done in a timely manner. The following requirements are designed to eliminate excessive travel times and a dangerous recovery:
- The estimated landing site as measured directly from the launch site must be no longer than 100 miles away
- The estimated landing zone must be at least 10 miles from the nearest town and/or airport
- The terrain in the estimated landing zone must be easily traversed by car or on foot (farmland)
Organizational
The following are basic organizational and planning requirements that must be followed in order to successfully and safely launch a payload:
- All FAA requirements are followed, including contacting the FAA within 24 hours of launch and filing a Notice to Airmen
- Project and Systems Engineer approve of launch based on a majority of the team leads recommendations for launch
- All the required University/High School registered drivers and vehicles are available to safely transport all participants to and from the launch site and the recovery site and
- All the required supplies carry out the launch, including helium, hoses, tools etc…
Payload
The following requiremnts are designed to ensure that the payload is capable of completing the mission success criteria defined for the mission and that the equipment will be recovered in a timely fashion:
- The payload must contain at least 2 flight tested, independent tracking units transmitting on the APRS frequency
- All flight hardware required to complete all of the items on the mission success criteria must be thoroughly tested in a moored launch event prior to a full altitude launch
