AeroVironment completes Sunglider HAPS stratospheric test flight
AeroVironment (AVAV) announced the Sunglider solar-powered high-altitude pseudo-satellite, or HAPS reached an altitude of more than 60,000 feet above sea level and demonstrated mobile broadband communication. Sunglider's development and testing is funded by HAPSMobile, a joint venture majority-owned by SoftBank (SFTBY) and minority-owned by AeroVironment. During the test flight, which began at 5:16 a.m. MDT on September 21 and concluded at 1:32 a.m. MDT on September 22, the AeroVironment team piloted Sunglider to a stratospheric altitude of 62,500 feet above Spaceport America in New Mexico. Sunglider achieved test objectives relating to propulsion, power systems, flight control, navigation and datalink integrity, as well as structural performance during the most turbulent phases of the flight as it entered and exited the jet stream. The broadband communication demonstration linked teams in Tokyo, Spaceport America and Silicon Valley using an LTE payload jointly developed by Alphabet's Loon LLC and HAPSMobile. Employing standard LTE smartphones, a team at Spaceport America conducted multiple video calls via the Sunglider's payload while the aircraft circled for more than five hours in the stratosphere. The Sunglider, a solar-powered HAPS, has a wingspan of 262 feet and is propelled by 10 electric motors powered by solar panels covering the surface of the wing and rechargeable battery packs, resulting in zero emissions. Flying at an altitude of approximately 65,000 feet above sea level and above the clouds, the Sunglider can carry payloads weighing as much as 150 pounds and is designed for continuous, extended missions of months without landing
