Sheffield University solar balloon lifted telescope (SunbYte - BEXUS 25)

Solar observations from the ground is often difficult due to the turbulent atmosphere distorting incoming light. Learning about the Sun is critical in modern society as solar flares have the potential to cripple telecommunication and global navigation systems. Project SunbYte (Sheffield University Nova Balloon Lifted Telescope) aims to revolutionise the industry by using a high-altitude balloon to lift a solar telescope to an altitude of 25-35km, where it has the potential to capture images of much better quality. As existing ground and space telescopes are large, complex and expensive, SunbYte will provide a new technique for scientists to collect low cost, high quality data. The experiment was launched on BEXUS 25 from ESRANGE, Sweden in Oct 2017 as part of the German-Swedish student programme REXUS/BEXUS. This paper will discuss the educational impact of the project and the science and engineering developed by students. It will assess the lessons learnt from a management and technical perspective.