Analyzing the market for high-altitude platform stations
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex has published a report on the market for high-altitude platform stations (HAPS). These are aerial vehicles that operate in the stratosphere at altitudes between 18 and 50 kilometers.
Stratospheric airships belong to one of the HAPS categories, namely light LTA-platforms (lighter-than-air). They occupy a niche between UAVs and space satellites. One of the main functions of such vehicles is remote sensing of Earth from the air.
The HAPS sector is estimated to have a global revenue of € 742 million by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 13% relative to 2019. To compare, the market volume of Earth remote sensing from space is €4-5 billion with a forecast annual growth rate of 4-6%.
Frontex experts believe that the market for high-altitude platform stations is far from saturation and predict its rapid growth if a breakthrough is made in the field of composite materials, solar panel efficiency and other technologies. HAPS will then be able to compete with satellites in low orbits.
Russia has those technologies and a team ready to implement them. One of our goals in the New Generation Airships project is to create stratospheric aerial vehicles based on innovative technologies and to become a leader in the niche that has not yet been tapped. Join us!