Karnataka techie aims to take Indian flag into near space using hydrogen balloon on Republic Day

Techie aims to fly the Indian national flag near space. (Image: zikiguy/ Instagram)

As India prepares to mark its 77th Republic Day, a group of tech enthusiasts from Karnataka is aiming hoist the Indian tricolour at an altitude of nearly one lakh feet, taking the national celebration to near space. The attempt, which will use a hydrogen-filled high-altitude balloon, has attracted attention online and created quite a buzz on the internet.

The project grabbed eyeballs after a video shared on Instagram by zikiguy went viral. In the reel, the team explains the idea, the technical process, and the safety measures involved in the experiment.

According to the video, the team had considered several options before deciding on a high-altitude balloon. The person in the video explains that drones and aircraft were ruled out due to height limitations.

He explained, “First, we thought of using a drone. But that would only get us about 1000 metres in height. What if we hoist it with an actual aeroplane that still only reaches around 15 kilometres in height? That's when we decided to use a high altitude balloon.”

The team plans to use a hydrogen balloon to lift a payload that includes the Indian flag, tracking equipment, cameras, and a recovery system. The techie further said, “This balloon will use hydrogen and will carry the flag to about 1 lakh feet, which is basically the stratosphere, also called near space. We started building the payload. We built the electronics for tracking the location and altitude.”

One of the key elements of the project is the automated unfurling of the Indian flag at a specific height. The team has designed the system to operate without manual control once the balloon is launched.

Explaining the full sequence, the techie said, “When the balloon reaches 80,000 feet, the flag will be automatically unfurled, and the balloon will continue flying up to 1 lakh feet while holding the flag. Once it reaches 1 lakh feet, the balloon will burst, and the payload will come down safely using a parachute. This will be captured using cameras mounted outside the payload box.”

The stratosphere experiences extremely low temperatures, which creates challenges for mechanical systems. According to the team, standard motors were unsuitable for this environment.

He went on to reveal, “We built a mechanism using which the Indian flag will be automatically unfurled by detecting the altitude. Since the temperature at this altitude reaches minus 60 degrees Celsius, we couldn't use any motor to unfurl the flag. So we used a nichrome wire that heats up to cut a rope and will unfurl the flag.”

The team also confirmed that they have obtained all required permissions to carry out the launch. According to them, approvals were granted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). According to the Free Press Journal, quick commerce platform Zepto is funding the launch.

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Social media users responded with a mix of encouragement and technical discussion. One user commented, “Congratulations in advance, bro”. Another wrote, “This is some crazy stuff”.

One message praised the effort, stating, “True dedication and nerves of steel! It’s not just about the altitude; it’s about the love for the nation that drives you. Huge respect to you, Zikiguy, for this historic moment. Keep soaring!”

Some users also raised technical concerns, particularly regarding equipment performance in extreme cold. One user questioned, “At that temperature (-60°C), none of your power electronics/ microcontroller will work, nor will your pouch batteries, which you are using to power your system, work.” Responding to the concern, the techie said, “That’s why we are using thermal insulation for all our components.”

The team has described the mission as an attempt at the world’s highest-ever flag hoisting. If successful, the Karnataka team’s experiment will place the Indian tricolour briefly at the edge of space, marking Republic Day in an unconventional way.