A cheap near-space glider that flies for months at a time is to start testing in the stratosphere this summer.
Zephyr has a wingspan the size of a superjumbo, flies at 70,000 ft and weighs less than an average adult.
Developed at Farnborough, the glider aims to be a cut-price alternative to satellite-based telecom links such as Elon Musk’s Starlink.
Funded by Airbus, Zephyr is solar-powered and will be tested in the Rift Valley in Kenya for near-orbit flights.
Expected to be priced at US$5 million, it will cost a fraction of the launch costs of rockets or the creation of satellite constellations.
Aalto Haps, an Airbus-funded spinout had developed the glider and said; “Establishing a permanent launch and landing location has been a priority,” a company official said.
Africa is seen as a prime potential market given its needs for mobile connectivity, border issues and environmental mapping.
Aalto is working with a Japanese consortium to develop the technology with NTT Docomo, a Japanese telecoms group, planning to use the glider as a back-up in emergencies.