Yesterday’s inaugural launch of Boeing’s Delta IV rocket used Ecliptic Enterprise’s onboard RocketCam.
A Sony XC-999 miniature color video camera was used to generate live, full-color video from onboard the rocket. Ecliptic is currently engineering an enhanced RocketCam product line based on Sony’s XC-555 miniature video camera, which includes a more sensitive CCD chip, improved electronics and expanded external interfacing in a smaller, lighter package.
Color video can also be recorded on an onboard 200 Meg HD then beamed back on the S Band. The S-band is used to transmit the tracking data of almost all rocket launches. While Ariane 4 and Ariane 5 use 2206.0 GHz, Atlas Centaur rockets use 2210.5 GHz. Here’s a portable, battery powered, S-band transmitter designed for NASA’s geostationary TDRSS. This unit is designed to support field data collection.
On the right is a nice 10 meter (30 foot) S-band dish. It’s got an antenna Gain of 43.3dB with an EIRP on the S band at 96.6 dBmW.
The founder of Xircom and his brother shoot DV movies from their 200 lb. model rocket. Here are the movies.
Of course anyone using the licensed “S” Band for hobby purposes will be going to the big house. And you can kiss any cable privileges goodbye.
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