2016 Scientific Ballooning Technologies Workshop Philippe Cocquerez & Stéphanie Venel, CNES Toulouse, France Title CNES super pressure balloon System, upgrade for Strateole-2 Abstract The French Space Agency, CNES, has developed, since about twelve years ago, super pressure balloons (SPB) that float on constant density (isopycnic) surfaces in the lowermost stratosphere, carrying 40 to 50 kg payloads, during typically three months. These SPB have been successfully deployed in flotilla of about 20 balloons for different scientific campaigns all over the world in different configuration sizes from 8,5 to 12 m diameter, mainly to document the chemistry and dynamics of the atmosphere, to study gravity waves, and to provide in-situ atmospheric profiles thanks to the NCAR driftsonde payload. The SPB housekeeping gondola used from 2005 to 2011 now needs to be upgraded in order to increase the flights’ safety and to improve its performance with up to date equipment’s. The control center will also be redesigned. These modifications take into account the experience acquired during the last SPB campaigns, mainly during CONCORDIASI, with 19 flights over Antarctica from September 2010 to January 2011. After a successful preliminary design review, the project is now conducting the detailed conception phase. This new system is developed for STRATEOLE-2, a project dedicated to the coupling processes between the troposphere and the stratosphere in the deep tropics, using several types of instruments, both for in situ and remote measurements in the atmosphere. STRATEOLE -2 includes two measurement campaigns, three years spaced to study the quasi biennial oscillation. Since the scientific payloads are fully self-standing, some technical solutions will be common with the CNES housekeeping gondola, such as the renewable power system. This paper will describe briefly the STRATEOLE-2 project and will focus on the developments in progress for the SPB system upgrade.

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