AVEALTO Partners with JP Aerospace to Operate High Altitude Vehicle at the Edge of Space
(PRWEB) February 09, 2016 -- Avealto is pleased to announce that it will manage the marketing and operations of the high altitude Tandem Vehicle created by JP Aerospace. This uncrewed, lighter-than-air, powered aerostat is designed to operate short-duration missions (5 to 48 hours) in the high stratosphere, the edge of space, at altitudes of more than 27 kilometers (89,000 feet).
An earlier version of the Helium-filled Tandem Vehicle achieved an uncertified record for powered vehicles on 22nd of October, 2011 when it reached an altitude of 95,085 feet. This latest iteration of the Tandem Vehicle has been enhanced to increase performance and payload capacity. The reusable Tandem Vehicle is an ideal platform to test spacecraft and aerospace components or systems in a near-space environment. A full test campaign on the Tandem Vehicle will cost significantly less that a single sounding rocket launch.
Prior Tandem Missions were launched from the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, USA. The partnership between Avealto and JP Aerospace to market and operate the Tandem Vehicle will facilitate operations from locations across the world. The upgraded Tandem has been optimised for transportation with all required support infrastructure in a single standard shipping container. The first missions for the Tandem are schedule in March 2016. Some payload capacity remains available for Spring of 2016.
Avealto will use the Tandem to test elements of its proprietary High Altitude Platform design, which is at an advanced stage of development. Avealto’s fleet of High Altitude Platforms will be solar-powered, lighter-than-air vehicles, which will remain on-station in the stratosphere at an altitude of 20 to 25 kilometers (66,000 to 82,000 feet) for months at a time. Each High Altitude Platform will be able to provide a variety of telecommunications services to a terrestrial footprint between 240 to 480 kilometers (150 to 300 miles) in diameter. Each High Altitude Platform vehicle will offer more bandwidth than a typical geostationary telecommunication satellite.
Avealto has assembled an experienced team that incorporates a blend of both telecoms and aerospace expertise. This team is led by Avealto founder, Walt Anderson. Mr. Anderson is a serial telecommunications entrepreneur, an early investor and supporter of commercial space activities, and co-founder of the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. Telecoms companies founded and run by Mr. Anderson in the USA and Europe have realised over US$2.5B in exit valuations.
About Avealto: Avealto (Spanish: “High Bird”) a UK-based company, is building a fleet of High Altitude Platforms. The global Avealto system will comprise 200 uncrewed stratospheric, long-duration telecommunications platforms, providing mobile telephony, broadband communications, backhaul, broadcasting and other hosted payloads. Modular swappable payloads will be tailored to suit specific locations and markets. The High Altitude Platform vehicle will complement existing terrestrial and satellite infrastructure, providing rapidly deployable connectivity for rural, remote, maritime, aeronautical and developing world customers at a substantially lower cost than existing technologies and will integrate seamlessly with existing communication infrastructure.
About JP Aerospace: JP Aerospace is a California corporation based in Rancho Cordova, California, USA. JP Aerospace has designed and flown thousands of commercial and scientific missions at the edge of space. John Powell, the founder of the company, has over 30 years of experience in high altitude activities.
For more information contact: info(at)avealto(dot)com
Walt Anderson, AVEALTO, http://avealto.com, +1 2024671000, [email protected]
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