AeroGlide UAV
Solar-electric stratospheric glider built from carbon-fiber spars and custom telemetry for high-altitude atmospheric sensing.
+3About
AeroGlide is a lightweight, ultra-efficient autonomous glider intended for endurance monitoring of microclimate shifts, particulate plumes, and seasonal weather patterns. Designed with an 8-meter carbon fiber wing chord and integrated solar skin, it communicates flight telemetry over dual redundant LoRa and satellite links back to a ground station dashboard.
Squad leads
Dr. Meera IyerAdvising on wing aero-elastic stability and propulsion testing protocols.
Kabir ShahLeading composite layups and onboard avionics packaging.
Resources & bill of materials
| Item | Qty | Specification | Est. Cost | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toray T700 Carbon Fiber Prepreg (10m) | 1 | 3K 200gsm plain weave | ₹45,000 | Funded |
| SunPower Maxeon Gen III Solar Cells | 64 | 24.2% cell efficiency back-contact | ₹52,000 | Sourcing |
| Inconel 718 Fastener Kit | 1 | Aerospace structural fasteners | ₹23,000 | Needs funding |
Updates
Wind Tunnel Foil Test #3 telemetry logs published
Completed the 18 m/s low-Reynolds laminar flow foil evaluation in the IISc open-circuit wind tunnel. Boundary layer separation occurs 4% later than predicted by XFLR5. Full sensor datasets and raw high-speed pressure tap telemetry logs are mirrored at https://hackerland.in/telemetry/reports/2026/stratospheric-glider-flight-envelope-cfd-analysis-dataset-v2-full-raw-sensor-logs-bangalore-iisc-test-track-archive-release.json for anyone reproducing the lift curves.
Recovering from bus lockups on shared I2C bus with BNO085 and MS5611 at 400kHz?
When polling the BNO085 IMU and MS5611 altimeter over the same STM32 I2C1 peripheral at 400kHz, the bus occasionally hangs with SDA held low indefinitely after a clock stretch. What is the cleanest hardware/firmware recovery sequence without rebooting the whole flight controller?
Open roles
Flight Software & Telemetry Lead
Own the real-time flight control loop and state estimation filters.
Aerodynamics CFD Fellow
Run chord vortex simulations to optimize low-Reynolds gliding efficiency.
Field Test Safety Officer
Manage safe tethered flight corridors and emergency cutoff systems.