SkySense LLC: HAPS — Autonomous Airships Providing Low-Cost, High-Frequency, Ultra-High-Resolution Data from 20 km Altitude in the Stratosphere

My name is Adin Pavel from SkySense LLC. We are developing the "Stratospheric Platform (HAPS: High Altitude Platform Station)" to fundamentally transform the future of earth observation and data delivery.

Bridging the Gap: The Demand for Stratospheric Data

While earth observation data is vital for agriculture, infrastructure monitoring, disaster response, and defense, existing methods have critical limitations.
Satellite data covers wide areas but is easily blocked by clouds, and often lacks sufficient resolution or frequency. Conversely, manned aircraft or drone photography provides ultra-high resolution, but covers very limited areas and comes with massive flight costs.

What end-users truly need is ultra-high resolution, high-frequency observation data delivered at a low cost.
We solve this challenge by deploying autonomous airships (HAPS) in the stratosphere, approximately 20 km above the ground. Since HAPS operates much closer to the ground than satellites, it can capture ultra-high-resolution images (down to a few centimeters). Furthermore, because it can remain stationary relative to the ground, it enables real-time, low-cost, and safe "stationary observation" at any location. Unlike satellites, it carries no launch explosion risks, and can be brought down to the ground for maintenance and hardware upgrades at any time, providing exceptional operational flexibility.

Achieving 8 cm Resolution with JAXA Technology Transfer and PoC

Our HAPS utilizes an autonomous airship design capable of staying aloft for over 6 months. In development, we officially received a technology transfer from JAXA's former stratospheric airship project, and have been selected for prestigious programs like the "JAXA Aviation Innovation Challenge" and the "ICT Startup League."

We already conducted a joint Proof of Concept (PoC) through KDDI's "MUGENLABO Universe" program. Since our full-scale airship was still in development, we used a tethered balloon at an altitude of 500 meters to verify high-altitude imaging. While standard aerial photography peaks at a resolution of 10 cm or worse, our PoC achieved a ground resolution of 8 cm. This proved that we can clearly detect car models and track human movements from high altitudes.

This ultra-high-resolution data has drawn strong interest from both commercial and government clients—such as major general contractors for site monitoring, insurance firms for disaster assessment, the Ministry of Defense for surveillance, and space launch agencies for monitoring ship intrusion in exclusion zones.

Roadmap to Early Profitability via 6-Airship Operation

Our primary business model is data-as-a-service (DaaS), manufacturing and operating HAPS internally to provide captured data to solution companies and end-users via subscription. For special needs, such as defense, we also plan a "machine rental model" where customers rent the airship itself or mount their own payloads (communication or imaging gear).

Development is divided into three milestones. We are currently building a 5-meter-long pilot model as Step 1. To fund this flight test and develop stratospheric cameras, we are currently raising a seed round of 1.0 to 1.2 million USD (100 to 120 million JPY).
In the future, we will construct a 30-meter-long production model. We estimate the manufacturing cost of the production airship to be 1.2 to 1.5 million USD per unit, with a cumulative development budget of 20 to 25 million USD. This is more than an order of magnitude cheaper than satellite launches. We expect to achieve profitability once we reach 6 active units in operation. Backed by aerospace veterans and former JAXA engineers who designed 67-meter airships, we are determined to build Japan's first stratospheric infrastructure.

Q&A and Feedback

Commentator (Mr. Ito): Mr. Pavel, thank you for the presentation. I am very excited to see a Japan-born stratospheric platform. What do you consider the biggest technical hurdles in developing and operating HAPS, and what are your technical strengths?

Adin Pavel: Thank you for the question. It is no exaggeration to say that this project is "nothing but technical hurdles." Staying in the stratosphere for long periods requires an ultra-lightweight yet high-strength airship structure, propulsion systems (propellers and motors) that function in thin air and extreme cold, and advanced envelope materials to withstand harsh UV and gases. Since integrated products do not exist yet, we are co-developing these components with top-tier materials manufacturers in Japan.

Commentator (Mr. Ito): I see. So you also need to customize cameras and communication systems to withstand the stratospheric environment?

Adin Pavel: Exactly. Developing camera bodies and lenses that operate reliably at 20 km altitude under extreme temperatures and low pressure—while maintaining 8 cm resolution—requires joint development with camera manufacturers. Integrating these platform-side and data-side technologies—such as solar panels, fuel cell batteries, autonomous flight controls, and real-time data transmission—simultaneously is the core of our engineering project and our main strength.

Commentator (Mr. Ito): Unlike typical startups, this aerospace-level project seems to require massive capital. Could you share your fundraising milestones and cumulative cost projections?

Adin Pavel: Certainly. While it follows a similar development process to space tech, HAPS is one to two orders of magnitude cheaper than satellites (which cost hundreds of millions of dollars). We are currently raising 1.0 to 1.2 million USD for our seed flight tests. After that, we estimate the total cumulative cost to develop and commercialize the 30-meter production prototype to be around 20 to 25 million USD.

Commentator (Mr. Ito): If the production model costs 1.2 to 1.5 million USD per unit, it is incredibly cost-efficient compared to satellites. This seems like a highly capital-efficient model in the space/aerospace sector. I wish you the best of luck in launching Japan's first stratospheric platform.

Adin Pavel: Thank you. We will steadily hit our technical and business milestones to deliver the world's leading stratospheric data platform.