Stratospheric airship
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A stratospheric airship is an airship designed to fly at very high altitudes (30,000 - 70,000 ft or 10 - 20 km). Most designs are (ROA/UAV) remote operated aircraft/unmanned aerial vehicles. To date none of these designs have received approval from the FAA to fly in U.S. airspace.
Sanswire Networks, LLC, a subsidiary of GlobeTel Communications Corp. (AMEX:GTE) is privately developing a high altitude airship (HAA) called a Stratellite. Flight tests will be conducted at Edwards Air Force Base during 2006.
Japan and South Korea are also planning to deploy HAA's. South Korea has been conducting flight tests for several years with a vehicle from Worldwide Aeros.
There are at least 5 other stratospheric airship efforts being floated in other countries.
December 4, 2005 a team led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) successfully demonstrated powered flight of the HiSentinel stratospheric airship at an altitude of 74,000 feet (22.6 km). The development team of Aerostar International, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and SwRI launched the airship from Roswell, N.M., for a five-hour technology demonstration flight. The 146-foot-long (44.5 m) airship carried a 60-pound (27 kg) equipment pod and propulsion system when it became only the second airship in history to achieve powered flight in the stratosphere.
Designed for launch from remote sites, these airships do not require large hangars or special facilities. Unlike most stratospheric airship concepts, HiSentinel is launched flaccid with the hull only partially inflated with helium. As the airship rises, the helium expands until it completely inflates the hull to the rigid aerodynamic shape required for operation.
See also
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