Towards a European Stratospheric Balloon Observatory -- The ESBO Design Study
Philipp Maier, J\"urgen Wolf, Thomas Keilig, Alfred Krabbe, Rene, Duffard, Jose-Luis Ortiz, Sabine Klinkner, Michael Lengowski, Thomas, M\"uller, Christian Lockowandt, Christian Krockstedt, Norbert Kappelmann,, Beate Stelzer, Klaus Werner, Stephan Geier, Christoph Kalkuhl

TL;DR
The paper introduces the ESBO project, a European stratospheric balloon observatory designed to provide accessible, reusable platforms for astronomical observations in UV, visible, and far infrared wavelengths, complementing existing observatories.
Contribution
It presents the design study of a novel balloon-based observatory infrastructure, including a prototype UV/visible platform and plans for larger telescopes, advancing European capabilities in astronomical research.
Findings
Development of a 0.5-m UV/visible telescope prototype for balloon flights.
Design concepts for larger FIR telescopes and stabilized gondolas.
Operational plans for community access and instrument testing.
Abstract
This paper presents the concept of a community-accessible stratospheric balloon-based observatory that is currently under preparation by a consortium of European research institutes and industry. The planned European Stratospheric Balloon Observatory (ESBO) aims at complementing the current landscape of scientific ballooning activities by providing a service-centered infrastructure tailored towards broad astronomical use. In particular, the concept focuses on reusable platforms with exchangeable instruments and telescopes performing regular flights and an operations concept that provides researchers with options to test and operate own instruments, but later on also a proposal-based access to observations. It thereby aims at providing a complement to ground-, space-based, and airborne observatories in terms of access to wavelength regimes - particularly the ultraviolet (UV) and far…
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Taxonomy
TopicsPhotocathodes and Microchannel Plates · Adaptive optics and wavefront sensing · solar cell performance optimization
