In August 2026, a giant silver bullet will slice through the dry air of the southwestern United States and cross the Pacific to reach Japan. The roughly 200-foot-long craft, built by New Mexico-based company Sceye, will park about 18 kilometers above the ocean in the stratosphere. There, it will use a custom antenna to supplement Softbank's 5G network, beaming data directly to devices.
What is a HAPS platform and how it works
Sceye (pronounced "sky") is one of several firms building high-altitude platform stations (HAPS). These airborne craft can be planes, balloons, or oblong vessels filled with helium and outfitted with solar panels. They are designed to deliver internet service to disaster sites and observe Earth's surface. The stratosphere offers space-like conditions without the cost and complexity of orbit. Sceye's aircraft is lightweight yet strong, covered in reflective fabric, and powered by solar panels that store energy for night-time operation, driving an electric fan to maintain position against winds.
Sponsored Protocol
The 2024 test flight and recent progress
In 2024, Sceye's craft stayed aloft for 12 days, flew to the coast of Brazil, and spent over 88 hours parked in various locations. This endurance is a key milestone for commercial viability. Since then, the company has refined its energy storage and maneuvering systems. The upcoming Japan mission will demonstrate how HAPS can integrate with terrestrial networks, acting as a flying cell tower.
Sponsored Protocol
Future impact and competition in the HAPS sector
Besides Sceye, giants like Airbus through its Aalto subsidiary are investing in HAPS. While companies such as Anthropic develops AI agents like Claude Tag for team collaboration, Sceye focuses on physical infrastructure. The goal is to make HAPS as common as ships and trains, providing low-cost internet coverage in densely populated or disaster-stricken areas. This technology could also complement satellite operators to better serve global connectivity.
For more on high-altitude platforms, see the Wikipedia page on high-altitude platform stations.
Source: https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/06/24/1138771/solar-powered-platform-delivers-better-internet
