CShark provides a comprehensive service for In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD) and In-Orbit Validation (IOV) missions through high-altitude stratospheric balloons, reaching altitudes between 30 and 50 km.
These missions offer a cost-effective and rapidly deployable solution for testing space technologies in near-space conditions, significantly reducing the time and financial barriers of orbital qualification.

At these altitudes, the environment closely replicates key space conditions, including:

• Pressure levels below 10 mbar
• Temperatures ranging from –60 °C to –20 °C
• High exposure to solar and UV radiation
• Rapid thermal gradients and low atmospheric density

Our stratospheric balloon platform supports payloads up to 5–10 kg, depending on mission configuration, and enables flights lasting from 2 to 6 hours in near-space environments.

Each campaign includes:

• End-to-end payload integration, including power supply, telemetry, and control systems;
• Mission planning and logistics, with management of aeronautical authorizations and flight permits;
• Controlled descent and recovery, using parachute deployment and GPS tracking for safe payload retrieval;
• Post-flight data processing and performance analysis, providing validation metrics and environmental datasets.

This approach allows developers to accelerate the qualification process for new technologies, achieving flight-representative data before committing to orbital deployment.

It is particularly suited for the validation of sensors, electronic subsystems, optical payloads, and miniaturized components, enabling early-stage technology readiness advancement (up to TRL 6–7).

By leveraging CShark’s experience in satellite engineering and mission operations, the stratospheric balloon service bridges the gap between laboratory testing and space qualification, offering a fast, flexible, and reliable path to orbit-ready performance validation.