New floating internet infrastructure takes flight

A new way to get internet took to the skies recently, and you may not have even noticed

It doesn't rumble or shoot fire like a rocket launch, and it doesn't leave behind a trail as

it travels through the air. Instead, it rises like a balloon lifted by helium, vertically at first

then settling into a horizontal position once it reaches its destination in the stratosphere

That is where it gets to work. It's called a HAPS, or High Altitude Platform System

and despite its appearance, this thing isn't competing with blimps or airships

Those are made to carry people. A HAPS is made to compete with satellites as a new layer of

infrastructure in the sky. This latest test flight was the conclusion of its endurance program

bringing this technology one step closer to more widespread adoption. I think because I've spent most nights since we launched sleeping next to mission control

that I may be too exhausted to share the excitement that is going on here

The HAPS took off from the Sky Hangar in New Mexico, then traveled toward Florida before turning toward the Caribbean and South America

After 29 hours of flight, we broke a world record that was set by us in August of 2024

In total during this last flight, Sky's HAP spent over 12 days in the air

including more than 88 hours staying in place over an area of operation, which is an important skill to fulfill its purpose of providing internet to users in a specific area

The current record for longest ever unmanned HAPS flight was set by the Airbus Zephyr last year

which stayed up for 67 days. Sky's HAPS, however, ultimately aim to remain in the stratosphere for

up to a year or more The company expects to be able to accomplish that thanks to the fact that their lifting gas helium will keep their HAPS up reserving energy from the onboard solar panels and battery to power navigation keep the HAPs in position over its area of operation

and power onboard payloads like, for example, an internet transmitter. Speaking of, Sky's HAPs-based

internet won't be like the satellite-based internet it's competing with. Satellite-based internet providers need users to install a satellite dish to receive their signals from space

but since Sky's HAPs operate more like a floating cell tower much closer to Earth

they can beam 5G internet directly to users' devices. That essentially means that any smartphone without adaptation will be able to receive and send signal with us

because we just look like another tower. Sky is aimed at helping service providers extend and improve their network to reach more people in underserved areas

Two planned test flights in 2026 will mark the beginning of the commercialization phase of Sky's haps

One upcoming flight to Japan will provide internet in partnership with SoftBank

and another flight to South America will provide internet in partnership with America Mobile

As for when you might get to try HAPS-powered internet, it depends on your provider and what kind of deal they work out with Sky

If it all goes well, you might not even notice the change at all. It'll just be like another cell tower, only this one's floating above our heads

I actually had the chance to visit Sky's hangar in Roswell, New Mexico, as the team prepared for one of their earlier test launches

After that video published, I saw several people in the comments mentioning the fact that helium is not a renewable resource and that there is a shortage of helium

among key industries. But Mikkel said that the purity of helium used to lift haps into the sky

is less than the purity needed by industries currently feeling the crunch

You can check out my visit to Sky's Hanger right here. Let us know what you think about these haps down in the comments and subscribe for more stories that make you say, what the future