“NASA, CU and similar scientific agencies require deliverables with a high degree of accuracy and reliability,” Jack Elston, CEO of Black Swift Technologies, said in a prepared statement. “The Black Swift S2 is a purpose-built aerial platform specifically engineered for flying scientific payloads in demanding atmospheric environments and will enhance the performance and utility of any airborne science fleet.”
Colorado Boulder Integrated Remote and In Situ Sensing (IRISS) was the first purchaser of the specialized research sUAS system.
The hand-launchable S2 has already flown scientific field campaigns conducting soil moisture mapping, nighttime wildfire measurements, volcano monitoring, and CO2 monitoring. Built for researchers, the system can be purchased with sensors for varied types of atmospheric measurement including SO2, CH4, H2s, and CO2.
Conducted in Costa Rica, Black Swift measured plumes from an active volcano for CO2 emissions measurement. During this the experimental run deployed an in situ probe of the plumes