Meshtastic Mesh Network
A self-healing LoRa mesh network transmitting telemetry on 868MHz. The signal was received by 488 nodes across Poland and Czechia, reaching a maximum distance of 197 km.
Stratospheric Balloon Mission
To the Edge
of Space.
And Back.
A high-altitude balloon mission by Team Munchhausen engineered to capture atmospheric telemetry, perform solar cell analysis, and transmit live imagery using Meshtastic mesh and SSTV radio downlinks.
Altitude: 12 kmCompleted: May 6, 2026Meshtastic 868 MHzSSTV Robot36
System Profile
Mission Profile & Telemetry
StratoQuest 2026 successfully demonstrated a decentralized LoRa communication stack and gathered atmospheric light spectrum data, flying a Yuri Gagarin figurine as an honorary passenger.
System Node active
Telemetry: nominal
Key Specifications
Max Altitude
12,000 m
Computer
Raspberry Pi 4B (Python)
Power
6x L91 Lithium + LM2596S
LoRa Telemetry
Meshtastic (868 MHz)
Downlink range
197 km (488 nodes)
SSTV Mode
DRA818V / 144 MHz
Engineering Breakdown
System Substructures
Atmospheric Spectrum Analysis
Photodiodes (IR 940nm, UV 400nm) and photoresistors tracked light intensity changes. The IR data successfully mapped water vapor absorption bands correlating with altitude.
Solar Cell I-V Curve
An automated electronic load using an IRLZ44N MOSFET and an INA219 sensor plotted the I-V characteristics of a solar cell to dynamically find the maximum power point (MPP) during flight.
Slow Scan TV (SSTV)
Onboard camera encoded images into Robot36 audio tones using a Python script, which were then broadcasted via a 1W DRA818V VHF transmitter with a custom LC filter.