Zephyr set for stratospheric success in Kenya
January 22, 2025
Aalto’s Zephyr high altitude platform station (HAPS) has completed its first successful launch of the year, taking off from its inaugural facility in Kenya, where its so-called ‘pseudo-satellite’ has now been flying continuously for over 48 hours.
The Airbus subsidiary – which cited a “pioneering regulatory landscape” as enabling it to develop and build a purpose-build launch and landing facility in Kenya’s Laikipia County in 2024 – has gradually been expanding the capabilities of its stratospheric Zephyr craft. “The establishment of a take off and launch ‘Aaltoport’ in Kenya is “unprecedented in the HAPS industry,” explained Aalto, which also extended its recognition of the Kenya Space agency and Kenya Civil Aviation Authority in demonstrating “their vision to champion cutting-edge aerospace technologies”.
Defined by its manufacturers as the “most advanced fixed-wing HAPS on the planet” and the only fixed-wing platform to have proven around-the-clock longevity, the Zephyr will prove instrumental in various missions including proving “connectivity and Earth observation services to those that need it most,” explained Aalto.
With the aircraft now cruising at 60,000ft, Aalto will be conducting key tests “over the coming days” – making the most of the sunlight prevalent in the equatorial region. The company has previously indicated that, with type approval process to be finalised by the end of 2025, full operational capacity could be online as soon as 2026.
Airbus elaborated that alongside enabling “very high-resolution imagery and near-time video from the stratosphere,” the integration of a connectivity payload into the platform can also “serve as a tower in the sky; providing low-latency connectivity directly to the end user’s device, with an approximate coverage reach of up to 7,500 square kilometres”. A potential alternative to services such as SpaceX’s Starlink, “Zephyr offers a new layer of connectivity for government applications, and commercial connectivity providers,” concluded Airbus.
100% solar-powered, the Zephyr has previously demonstrated 64 continuous days of stratospheric operation during its 2022 flight campaign, earning it the accolade of the world’s longest ever unrefuelled flight. In July 2024, Aalto secured Design Organisation Approval (DOA) from the UK CAA, ultimately intending to complete around one aircraft a week from its Farnborough, UK production facilities.
