The SkyGuard Cutdown System is a field-proven, mechanical payload release designed for high-altitude research balloons and atmospheric experiments.
Developed through years of flight experience in the research community, SkyGuard replaces hotwire releases with a robust servo-driven mechanism—eliminating fire hazards, simplifying rigging, and improving flight safety.
SkyGuard automatically monitors both time and absolute pressure to determine when to trigger payload release. Sixteen preset time and pressure options let you match a wide range of mission profiles, from small educational launches to multi-hour scientific flights.
Housed in a durable 3D-printed enclosure with clear acrylic panels, the SkyGuard gives you instant visibility of system status through dual LEDs—green for heartbeat, yellow for armed.
All settings are configured through two banks of DIP switches that can be adjusted quickly in the field using a pen tip or toothpick—no software, phone, or laptop required.
Rigging is straightforward: connect the balloon, parachute, and payload lines to the integrated swivels and retaining rings, install a 9-volt battery, and you’re ready for launch. The entire process of arming and resetting takes less than a minute.
Every SkyGuard is fully reusable, and the firmware is open source! The firmware and enclosure design files are available on GitHub, allowing educators, engineers, and researchers to adapt the system to their specific needs.
With built-in reverse polarity protection, a supercapacitor power buffer, and mechanically fail-safe release rings, the SkyGuard is built for reliability where it matters most—at 100,000 feet.
Whether you’re tracking atmospheric dynamics, running student payload programs, or testing aerospace sensors, the SkyGuard Cutdown ensures a clean, controlled, and repeatable recovery every time.
- 1x SkyGuard Cutdown main assembly
- 1x Field Consumables Kit
- Mechanical release – no hotwire, no burn risk, fully reusable
- Dual-trigger logic – release by preset time, pressure, or whichever comes first
- Field-configurable – 16 preset time and pressure settings via DIP switches
- Clear status feedback – green heartbeat LED and yellow timer LED visible in sunlight
- Reverse-polarity protection – safeguards electronics from miswired batteries
- Supercapacitor power assist – maintains stable operation during servo actuation
- Open-source – customize through Arduino-compatible code
- Rugged, lightweight housing – 3D-printed body with clear acrylic front and back
- Integrated swivels – prevents line fouling and ensures clean parachute deployment
- Reusable and serviceable – replacement rings and housings available separately
- Simple power source – runs on a single 9 V battery
- WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD – Product contains small parts. Not suitable for children under 3 years.
- WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
