Sheffield University solar balloon lifted telescope (SUNBYTE - BEXUS 25, HASP 2018, HASP 2019)

Sun surveillance from the ground is often difficult as Earth’s thick atmosphere distorts the incoming light. Learning about the Sun is critical in modern society because solar flares have the potential to cripple telecommunication and global navigation systems. Project SunbYte (Sheffield University Nova Balloon Lifted Telescope) is a University of Sheffield student-led project which aims to develop a low-cost, advanced pointing instrument for high-quality solar observations from the upper atmosphere. The first prototype of the experiment was initially launched on REXUS/BEXUS programme from ESRANGE in Oct 2017. Subsequent re-flights were made with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the High Altitude Student Platform (HASP). This paper will focus on solar tracking systems and provide a technical and managerial impact analysis of the project.