High Altitude Platform Solar Plane

[ US Air Force image, from Wikipedia ]

The alpha version of the High Altitude Platform (HAP) Solar Plane is planned to fly at 20,135 m (20 km) or 12 mile in the lower stratosphere, where there is a lack of wind and storm conditions. This is an altitude much lower than where satellites are typically located and this relatively low altitude results in less delay in communications (latency), enabling mobile phone connections virtually without delay, while also reaching locations not covered well or at all by mobile phone towers.

This relatively low altitude also enables higher resolution images from cameras, radar and other sensors that allow it to see through clouds, making it ideal for monitoring weather conditions, imaging, security, emergency signalling, communications, navigation and positioning, live maps, accident and disaster monitoring, warning and response, and more.

While land-based monitoring and surveillance systems can get affected by earthquakes, volcano eruptions, tsunamis, landslides avalanches and weather disasters, the HAP-alpha plane is high enough in the sky to avoid the impact of soil trembling, subsidence, storms, floods, fires, heatwaves, etc.

The HAP-alpha plane weighs only 138 kg or 304 pounds and its frame, instruments and batteries are incredibly light. The HAP-alpha plane is much more economic than satellites that need to be launched by rockets. It is also much more economic than using ducts, posts and towers for landline and mobile telecommunications, and it can serve rural and remote areas and off-shore locations that are currently out of reach. It can well serve and complement local micro-grids and off-the-grid locations that may have sufficient power though rooftop solar panels and batteries, yet that lack telecommunication connections to the outside world.

The HAP-alpha plane is a much better alternative for the environment, since it is powered by solar panels and batteries, and it can stay in the sky for weeks. It is easy for the HAP-alpha planes to be launched and to land, e.g. to replace instruments or batteries, and then be relaunched into the air again, without leaving space junk and without using rocket-fuel.

The HAP-alpha plane services can replace a lot of existing infrastructure and can include telephony, fax, radio and TV broadcasts, email and Internet connections. It also seems to be an alternative that is less vulnerable to attacks, accidents, weather disasters and similar incidents, making it a more reliable and secure alternative that requires less insurance coverage and protection by police, judicial and military forces.
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