UCCS AIAA Students Send BatSat2 to 121,000 Feet

Four members of the UCCS AIAA Student Chapter recently saw hardware they designed and built reach approximately 121,000 feet aboard the High Altitude Student Platform (HASP).

The BatSat2 team included aerospace engineering undergraduate Evan Martin, team lead and UCCS AIAA Student Chapter vice president; Jared Berty; Jack Weatherby; and electrical engineering undergraduate Aaron Moore. All four students are active AIAA members and contributed to the payload’s design, development, testing, and flight preparation.

Developed through the Colorado Space Grant Consortium and UCCS Space Systems Laboratory, BatSat2 investigated how near-space radiation affects battery performance and whether ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene could provide effective, lightweight radiation shielding. The experiment compared shielded and unshielded batteries while autonomously recording voltage, radiation, and temperature data.

HASP launched from Fort Sumner, New Mexico, on September 2. Although safety officials ended the flight earlier than planned because of trajectory and recovery concerns, BatSat2 successfully reached the near-space environment and collected data for analysis. The decision to terminate the flight was unrelated to the payload’s performance.

“This experience taught us that real engineering happens when things do not go as planned,” Martin said. “From a Geiger counter failure during thermal-vacuum testing to an early flight termination, every challenge pushed us to think on our feet and respond like engineers. Getting our payload to 121,000 feet and collecting data was an incredible milestone.”

Through BatSat2, the four AIAA members gained practical experience in payload design, environmental testing, systems engineering, and flight operations. The team will next analyze the recovered data to assess battery performance and the effectiveness of the radiation shielding.

The UCCS BatSat2 payload, circled in red, operates at approximately 121,000 feet aboard the High Altitude Student Platform on September 2, 2026. The student-built experiment collected environmental and system-performance data during its flight in the near-space environment.