US aerospace company Sceye successfully completed a round-trip trans-Pacific flight of an uncrewed stratospheric airship, demonstrating its viability as a persistent cell tower at ~60,000 feet. The helium-filled, solar-powered platform uses electric propulsion to resist winds and hover over a fixed area day and night, bridging the gap between ground towers and low-Earth orbit satellites.
Background
Stratospheric platforms have been explored since the late 1990s as communication中继方案，旨在填补地面基站与低地球轨道卫星之间的覆盖空白。Sceye自2016年起进行系列原型测试，本次跨洋飞行是其最关键的里程碑。
- Source
- Ars Technica
- Published
- Oct 19, 2026 at 07:05 PM
- Score
- 7.0 / 10