American aerospace company Sceye is currently leading the development of a flight platform called HAPS (High altitude Platform Station) - an internet broadcasting station operating in the Earth's atmospheric atmosphere.
With new investment from the global telecommunications group softBank, HAPS has successfully conducted 20 test flights and will conduct a demonstration flight in Japan in 2026, paving the way for commercialization.
The HAPS station uses heli gas to fly stably at an altitude of about 18,000-20,000m, located between satellite orbit and the low atmosphere, thereby avoiding weather disturbances and air traffic.
This design allows HAPS to provide a stable transmission line, low latency and wide coverage, especially useful in disasters such as earthquakes and forest fires that destroy ground-level telecommunications infrastructure.
Sceye equips HAPS with a solar power system combined with high-density lithium- soluble batteries (425Wh/kg), allowing the station to operate without interruption for many months, even at night. Integrated sensors and computers will continuously monitor flight status, automatically adjusting to maintain accurate position in the air, even in strong wind conditions.
According to softBank's assessment, HAPS is one of the fundamental technologies for the 6G era when the need for high-speed, low-latency connectivity becomes essential for drones, autonomous vehicles and IoT networks. Compared to satellites, HAPS flight stations can be deployed faster, more flexibly and economically, while playing a supportive role for both the ground network and the traditional satellite cluster.
Not only serving rescue and relief in natural disasters, HAPS also opens up stable connection opportunities for mountainous areas, remote islands and border areas - where telecommunications infrastructure has not yet been developed. This is considered an important step towards ensuring internet access for everyone, everywhere.
