SAHAB: A Compact Balloon-Borne Radiation Detection Platform for Solar X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Physics Development
Abstract
Abstract We present SAHAB (Saudi Arabia High-Altitude Balloon), the first iteration of a balloon-borne radiation detection platform developed jointly by King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), the Space Sciences Laboratory, and the University of California Merced. The program pursues two goals: developing cost-effective instrumentation for solar hard X-ray and gamma-ray spectroscopy, and building research capacity in experimental solar physics within Saudi Arabia. This first flight of the SAHAB payload will be hosted aboard BOOP (Balloon Observation and Operations Platform), a NASA-operated balloon platform. The science payload comprises one NaI(Tl) scintillation detector, one Geiger counter, one environmental sensor, and an imaging camera, all controlled by a Raspberry Pi 3B. In this article we also present the mechanical design and structural analysis of the chassis and payload. This paper describes the design of the first SAHAB iteration and establishes the operational framework for future standalone flights incorporating dedicated telemetry, LaBr3:Ce scintillators, and CdTe/SDD solid-state detectors optimized for solar flare observations.
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