US Stratospheric Aerostat Crosses the Pacific and Provides Internet in Japan

The US company Sceye has conducted the first test of its HAPS high-altitude platform in Asia. Launched from New Mexico on August 9, the device crossed the Pacific Ocean, reached Japan in 13 days, and covered a total distance of nearly 15,000 kilometers. According to ixbt.com, this project aims to practically test the feasibility of providing mobile communication services from the stratosphere. This is reported by Ixbt.com reports.

In Japan, this platform was used in collaboration with the country's leading operator, SoftBank. The device, which operated at an altitude of approximately 16.6 kilometers, remained in Japanese airspace for over seven days. During the tests, the HAPS demonstrated a unique capability, maintaining a stable position within a specific area with a deviation of only 5 kilometers.

Direct smartphone connectivity and test results

The aerostat-like platform was equipped with the SceyeCELL telecommunications system, designed for direct connection to standard mobile devices. During the test, smartphones were able to connect to this system via SoftBank's infrastructure without any special modifications. Experts successfully verified the capabilities for text messaging, voice calls, internet access, and online video streaming.

A special safety and alert system designed for use during major emergencies was also tested. According to data provided by Sceye, such technologies will serve as an important step in ensuring uninterrupted communication even in extremely difficult conditions in the future.

Stratospheric data center and future plans

One of the key technical achievements of this test is that the mobile network core and web server were placed directly on the high-altitude platform for the first time. As a result, user requests were processed directly in the air without being sent to a remote cloud data center. The average latency for data transmission was 68 milliseconds, which is 40 percent lower than traditional cloud infrastructure metrics.

In addition to smartphones, the platform was also able to establish stable communication with unmanned aerial vehicles. The company plans to create a unified communication network that connects all types of devices operating at different altitudes in the future. HAPS acts as an intermediate link between ground-based stations and satellites, operating well above passenger aircraft but closer to users than orbital devices.

According to Sceye's estimates, one fully operational platform of this type could cover an area equivalent to approximately 500 ground-based stations in the future. Following the successful completion of the tests in Japan, the aerostat is currently returning across the Pacific Ocean to the US.