Airbus Defence and Space has announced the launch of its high-altitude pseudo-satellite Zephyr 8 programme and is inviting potential customers and partners to conduct joint in-flight demonstrations of their payloads and applications.

The Zephyr 8 programme aims to develop the next-generation vehicle of Zephyr 7 system.

A high-altitude pseudo-satellite (HAPS), Zephyr operates wholly on solar power and has a capacity to fly at high-altitudes above the weather and above conventional air traffic.

The HAPS allows focus on a specific area of interest that can be several miles wide, while providing it with satellite-like communications, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) services for long time without interruption.

"We received permissions to fly and have flown Zephyrs in Australia, US and Europe, and now have a well-defined flight and safety procedure that has already been accepted by four major test ranges."

Since 2008, the Airbus Group has been working on HAPS, and created a cross-divisional ‘Nursery’ project, which included a team of space and aviation experts who have incubated a HAPS business addressing all its technical, commercial and regulatory aspects.

In 2013, the incubator purchased the assets of the Zephyr programme, which originally started in the UK and integrated all the vital Zephyr staff into its HAPS organisation.

The programme successfully achieved several world records to date such as the longest flight duration without refuelling and very high-altitude flights.

The Zephyr 7 vehicle underwent final testing in 2013 prior to the design of a complete suite of improvements for its next-generation vehicle, the Airbus Zephyr 8.

Speaking about the development, Airbus HAPS programme manager Jens Federhen said: "We are now building the next-generation of Airbus Zephyr that will allow customers to test payloads and applications. We are ready and look forward to demonstrating its unique capabilities to customers in flight."

Airbus Zephyr technical director Chris Kelleher said: "We received permissions to fly and have flown Zephyrs in Australia, US and Europe, and now have a well-defined flight and safety procedure that has already been accepted by four major test ranges."

Defence Technology