DemoSat Quest

DemoSat Program

High Altitude Balloon Payloads

DemoSat is COSGC's high altitude balloon payload challenge. Student teams from around the state build and test experiments at the edge of space. Our research balloons climb up to 100,000 ft, staying aloft for several hours. After the balloon bursts, the payloads are returned to the ground and teams recover their experiments and analyze their data. COSGC partners with EOSS (Edge of Space Sciences) for the launch , tracking and recovery operations.

COSGC Affiliates are invited to initiate student teams. Each semester there will be an Intent to Fly form sent to all Affiliate Directors. Teams are encouraged to purchase a HiBal Kit and use the accompanying online DemoSat Workshop to learn the basics of payload design and testing.

DemoSat Quest Deliverables

Demosat teams participate in the Design Review process and bring their finished payloads to launch day. DemoSat teams are required to submit a final report by the end of the semester launched. Teams are also encouraged to submit an abstract of their work to the Statewide Symposium in April 2026 for a video, poster or paper presentation.

2025/2026 DemoSat Schedule

The schedule below is preliminary and all dates are subject to change. Reviews may be set up any time during the proposed week. Annie will communicate directly with the Affiliate Director or Team Lead to schedule: The launch provider requires final weights must be reported by the Wednesday of flight week. This means all FRRs MUST be completed by that Wednesday.

Event	Fall 2025	Spring 2026*
Kickoff Telecon	September 4 @11:00 am	TBD
Preliminary Design Review	September 15 - 18	February 9 - 13
Critical Design Review	October 13 - 16	March 9 - 13
Flight Readiness Review	November 3 - 5	March 30 - April 2
LAUNCH/FLIGHT DAY!!	November 8	April 4
Final Reports Due	December 12	April 26

* Preliminary Schedule (subject to change)
^ All FRRs MUST be completed by Wednesday of flight week so we can report final weights to the launch provider by EOD that Wednesday.

Design Reviews - SLIDES REQUIRED!

Design and readiness reviews are a universal part of the engineering process, and the DemoSat program will follow standard industry practices in this regard. All reviews will take place via online webinar using the ZOOM online tool. A link to schedule your design review will be provided once your team has signed up for the semester. Electronic copies of slides are due 24 hours prior to each scheduled review. Please send slides to annie.strange@colorado.edu Teams can use the review templates provided here or use their own.