HAPSMobile

HAPSMobile is a subsidiary of SoftBank planning to operate HAPS networks, with AeroVironment as a minority owner. HAPSMobile develops the Hawk30 solar-powered unmanned aircraft for stratospheric telecommunications, and has a strategic relationship with Loon LLC, a subsidiary of Google's parent Alphabet Inc.

HAPSMobile Hawk30
Role Unmanned aerial vehicle
Manufacturer AeroVironment
First flight September 11, 2019
Status in development
Primary user HAPSMobile
Number built 1
Developed from Helios Prototype

Hawk30

Development

On January 3, 2018, AeroVironment announced it will design and develop solar-powered high-altitude unmanned aircraft and ground control stations for a Joint Venture with Japanese telco SoftBank (95%) for $65 million.[1] In November 2018, NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center on Edwards AFB in California was selected to provide ground and range safety up to 10,000 ft for $791,600.[2]

On April 25, 2019, the stratospheric Hawk30 was rolled out for the joint venture. Commercial operations should begin in 2023, operating year-round at latitudes +/- 30° from the equator.[3] AeroVironment design development increased by $39 million to $129 million, and a later Hawk50 would allow operations from +/- 50° around the equator to cover Japan and North America.[3]

The same day, SoftBank invested $125 million in Loon, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet, developing high-altitude balloons for internet connectivity since 2011, which can make a similar investment in HAPSMobile. They can collaborate on common ground stations, communications payloads and can share network connectivity in flight. HAPSMobile could also use the Loon-developed fleet management system and software-defined network.[3]

In August 2019, the FAA allowed the HAWK30 to fly in the stratosphere above Hawaii in FY2019, within the Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex.[4] On September 11, the prototype Hawk30 first flew at low altitude in restricted airspace at NASA Armstrong. Stratospheric flight tests up to 65,000 ft should start before March 31, 2020, from the Hawaiian island of Lanai.[2] Built in Simi Valley, California, the HAWK30 will be flight tested at the Spaceport America in New Mexico instead, as the local Economic Development Department gave $500,000 in subsidies.[5]

Design

The Hawk30 flying-wing is a development of the Pathfinder and Helios high-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft built by AeroVironment for NASA.[2] Resembling the 1999 Helios, the tailless aircraft is a 256 ft (78 m) span flying wing with 10 electric-driven propellers. Orbiting at 65,000 ft (20,000 m), it is solar-powered by day and battery-powered by night to stay aloft for up to six months initially. Service life should be two year and time on station should be extended by 1-2 months with experience. Remotely piloted for the ascent and descent, il will be autonomous once on station in the stratosphere.[3] The HAWK30 cruises at 59 kn (110 km/h).[6]

It would provide 4G LTE and 5G direct to devices over a 200 km (125 mi) diameter area, and 40 aircraft could cover the entire Japanese archipelago. It should be interoperable with terrestrial cell towers to expand their coverage and as a proxy for the SoftBank-backed OneWeb satellite constellation, not suited for providing links directly to devices.[3]

gollark: It can output arbitrary audio.
gollark: ... probably 32KB of storage total?
gollark: I suppose with a speaker hooked up it could be... made to randomly make annoying beeping noises, or something.
gollark: Magnetometer, which can be used that way, so kind of.
gollark: What, an inefficient compass?

See also

References
  1. "AeroVironment Announces Joint Venture and Solar High-Altitude Long-Endurance Unmanned Aircraft System Development Program" (Press release). AeroVironment. January 3, 2018.
  2. Graham Warwick (Sep 16, 2019). "The Week In Technology, Sept. 16-20, 2019". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  3. Graham Warwick (Apr 29, 2019). "The Week In Technology, April 29-May 3, 2019". Aviation Week & Space Technology.
  4. Garrett Reim (15 Aug 2019). "HAWK30 pseudo-satellite approved for test flights above Hawaii". Flightglobal.
  5. Garrett Reim (15 June 2020). "HAPSMobile to flight test high-altitude, pseudo satellite HAWK30 in New Mexico". Flightglobal.
  6. Garrett Reim (2 May 2019). "AeroVironment builds first HAWK30 pseudo-satellite". Flightglobal.
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