SoftBank’s Sunglider Solar HAPS Aircraft Succeeds in Stratospheric Flight

Reported by Srikapardhi October 2nd, 2024 at 08:42 pm

The aircraft used in the stratospheric field trial was an improved version that incorporated structural and functional enhancements to enable better performance than its predecessor, SoftBank explained.

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Highlights

Sunglider, SoftBank's large-scale HAPS UAS, achieves successful stratospheric flight.
Field trial conducted in collaboration with AeroVironment and the US Department of Defense.
Future plans focus on long-duration flights and optical wireless communications.

SoftBank's Sunglider Solar HAPS Aircraft Succeeds in Stratospheric Flight
Japan's SoftBank Corp announced that its large-scale High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS), named Sunglider, has successfully achieved stratospheric flight. The solar-powered uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) designed for HAPS stratospheric telecommunications was utilised in a field trial conducted by AeroVironment and the US Department of Defense (DoD) in New Mexico, USA, in early August 2024. According to SoftBank, Sunglider is larger than other publicly announced HAPS UAS, boasting a wingspan of 78 meters and the capability to carry payloads weighing up to 75 kg.

Also Read: SoftBank Achieves Spectrum Sharing Between HAPS and Terrestrial Base Stations

Enhanced Features and Capabilities of Sunglider

The company said this large-scale UAS is engineered to deliver stable, high-speed, and robust mobile connectivity. The aircraft used in the stratospheric field trial was an improved version that incorporated structural and functional enhancements to enable better performance than its predecessor, SoftBank explained.

Junichi Miyakawa, President and CEO of SoftBank Corp, said, "SoftBank began its HAPS program in 2017 as a global pioneer and has since led the industry in research and development, field trials, standardisation, and other activities to realise HAPS-based services. For our aircraft platform, we've been working with our partner AeroVironment to develop Sunglider, an industry-leading large-scale HAPS aircraft. The HAPS service we're aiming to provide will offer high-speed, high-capacity, high-quality, and stable communications, which is only possible with a large-scale aircraft."

"Going forward, we'll continue to challenge ourselves to achieve further performance enhancements and realise long-duration flights and optical wireless communications. Building on the achievements from this field trial, we'll accelerate our efforts towards commercialising HAPS."

Also Read: Aalto Haps and Stc Group Ink Deal for Stratospheric Connectivity

Impact on Global Connectivity

SoftBank plans to use insights from the trial to advance its HAPS initiatives, focusing on bridging the digital divide, facilitating emergency communications, and addressing broader societal challenges.

Reported By

Srikapardhi Telecom Analyst

Passionately following the Indian #Telecom Industry for over a decade from Business, Consumer and a Technical perspective. My primary focus area is Consumer & Digital Experience.