In-flight performance of the BLAST-TNG telescope platform

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the in-flight performance of the BLAST-TNG telescope platform during its 2020 Antarctic balloon flight, highlighting subsystem functionality and implications for future balloon-borne submillimeter telescopes.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive assessment of the BLAST-TNG telescope's in-flight performance, offering insights into subsystem operation and reliability in a high-altitude environment.

Findings

The telescope operated successfully during the flight.

Subsystems performed reliably despite the short duration.

Data collected will inform future balloon missions.

Abstract

The Next Generation Balloon-Borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (BLAST-TNG) was a unique instrument for characterizing the polarized submillimeter sky at high-angular resolution. BLAST-TNG flew from the Long Duration Balloon Facility in Antarctica in January 2020. Despite the short flight duration, the instrument worked very well and is providing significant information about each subsystem that will be invaluable for future balloon missions. In this contribution, we discuss the performance of telescope and gondola.