Stratospheric airship flew from US to Japan to test sky cell tower concept

Key Points:

• In August-September 2026, Sceye, a US aerospace company, completed a 30-day round-trip airship flight from New Mexico to Japan and back, demonstrating a stratospheric platform that can function as a cell tower in the sky.
• The uncrewed helium-filled airship operates at about 60,000 feet, powered by solar panels and batteries, and can hover over the same area for extended periods, providing mobile broadband coverage equivalent to hundreds of ground-based cell towers.
• Partnering with Japan's SoftBank, Sceye successfully provided live 4G LTE service from the stratosphere, enabling voice calls, messaging, video streaming, emergency alerts, and remote drone control during the demonstration.
• The platform also tested optical wireless communications using lasers to link between the stratosphere and ground stations, potentially serving as a relay to improve satellite communications and support future 6G networks.
• Sceye plans longer missions lasting months to a year, aiming to restore communications quickly in disaster scenarios and to provide regular cellular coverage in underserved areas where fiber-optic installation is costly.