World Surveillance Group Inc (fka WSGI)

[nilremerlin]

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How many times will the blimp idea get, uh, floated?

Yet another story today about yet another proposal to use blimps or some other kind of high-altitude hovering aircraft as a communications tower -- a cloud-level satellite, if you will. This time the company involved is called Sanswire Networks.

These communi-blimp ideas keep surfacing and never go anywhere. There was a UK company called SkyLINC. There's Platforms Wireless, still apparently a going concern. Japan's SkyNet and U.S.-based SkyTower seem to be defunct. In Europe, HeliNet is apparently gone.

Not sure what happened to Angel Technologies. Back around 2000, they planned a project called HALO to send up aircraft something like the ones Burt Rutan makes to fly around the world without stopping -- except these would be loaded with communications gear and circle above an area at 52,000 feet. Peter Diamandis, founder of the X Prize, was involved. But haven't heard a thing about them in ages. Anyone know?

Anyway, not sure why there is there a class of entrepreneurs who continually believe in the concept of a floating communications hub. If it's such a good idea, why has it failed over and over again?

(Photo of HALO plane by Angel Technologies)
Posted at 09:15 AM/ET, August 21, 2006 in 6. Cool/fun/weird tech | Permalink
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Comments

Perhaps the time is now. Only recently has the technology reached a point where the feasibility of a stratospheric airship made of super lightweight composites, guided by gps,lightweight, thinfilm solar collectors,etc.can make such a vision a reality. The need for such a vehicle by the military, national defense, as well as the populated areas of the planet where communications connectivity is absent ,gives considerable urgency to the endeavor to build such an economical solution to these current and growing problems
Posted by: timothy | Aug 21, 2006 10:27:24 AM

I first worked on a program back in the late 70's. The HASPA was a very high altitude aerostat that was intended to provide surveillance of ocean area to support naval warefare in the cold war. It was the use of a lightweight composite, namely Kevlar, that was the fatal flaw in the design since people didn't appreciate the differences in material.
Posted by: Charles Greer | Aug 21, 2006 12:30:11 PM

The military (Army) would be the place to springboard this technology. First because there is a very definable need (ability to rapidly establish high capacity networks in remote areas and to sustain these for limited timeframes). Perhaps more important is the willingness of the military to try new technologies and pay a premium in the attempt. Look to Washington not VC's for your initial funding (you may hang on to more equity as well).
Posted by: Chris G | Aug 21, 2006 12:43:10 PM

The need for a relatively inexpensive alternative to communications satellites (e.g. Stratollite) is very high in several parts of the world. The USA is not one of them. The Phillipines, Chili, Columbia, Africa, or anywhere that the infrastructure does not exist for cell phone and high speed data wants this technology very much. Hats off to Sanswire for continuing research this technology. With today's materials and technology, it may very well be feasable.

I hope so.
Posted by: Steve W | Aug 21, 2006 1:54:05 PM

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