ZEPHYR
The design of an autonomous weather station with solar power, environmental sensors and electronic communication modules.
- Project year
- 2025
- Design architecture
- 6 modules
- Energy approach
- Solar power
- Focus
- Meteorology
The project
ZEPHYR is a design initiative for an autonomous weather station, combining sensors, electronics, networking and data-management applications.
The project aims to collect environmental information from different modules and bring it together in a shared system. Its design approach includes solar power, local energy storage, weather and air-quality measurements, and the possibility of future time-series analysis. It envisages the integration of multiple sensors and communication technologies, alongside the development of graphical tools to present the results. ZEPHYR belongs to HEPHAESTUS's wider work in IoT and environmental monitoring and is not a subsystem of a rocketry mission.
Every part. One system.
Energy autonomy
The ZEPHYR design includes power from a photovoltaic panel combined with an energy-storage system. Autonomy is a central issue for a station intended to operate for extended periods without continuous human presence. The study focuses on reliably powering the individual electronic modules and efficiently managing the available energy.
Weather measurements
The station is designed to record parameters such as temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, rainfall, light levels and ultraviolet radiation. Combining different sensors can provide a more complete picture of local conditions. An important part of the technical work is selecting, connecting and evaluating the instruments correctly, as well as systematically recording the results.
Wind and air quality
The architecture includes wind-speed and wind-direction measurements using sensors that support RS485 and Modbus RTU communication. Monitoring of certain air-quality parameters is also envisaged. Integrating different sensors requires a shared communication design, correct handling of measurements and awareness of each instrument's limitations. The exact installed capabilities will be confirmed before they are presented as operational features.
Electronics and communication between modules
Environmental data collection is based on microcontrollers and independent electronic modules that exchange information. This approach gives members the opportunity to work with IoT systems, local communication, data logging and reliability checks. The collected data are intended to be transferred to a central environment where they can be organised and processed appropriately.