Space42 HAPS test in UAE is successfully completed

Details: Vaughan O'Grady; Category: Satellite Networks; 19 November 2025; 9420 views

Mira Aerospace, the high altitude platform systems (HAPS) subsidiary of Space42, the UAE-based space technology company, has announced the successful completion of the first public test flight of its advanced, solar-powered HAPS model, ApusNeo18.

Reaching stratospheric altitudes, the flight validated the system’s endurance, resilience, and readiness for commercial deployment. The aircraft carried an advanced Earth observation payload developed in-house by Mira Aerospace, combining high-resolution optical and infrared sensors with real-time data transmission.

As Space42 points out, the flight was conducted in November, a less favourable HAPS season in the UAE, but nevertheless confirmed ApusNeo18’s ability to perform across varied weather conditions.

So what happens now – and what does it means for telecommunications in the region?

HAPS aircraft bridge the gap between aviation and space. They offer satellite-like persistence with aircraft-level flexibility at lower operational costs.

ApusNeo18 is a lightweight, solar-powered platform designed for sustained stratospheric missions. With an 18-metre wingspan, 18,000-metre altitude ceiling, and 4-kilogramme payload capacity, it combines modular construction with in-flight agility, enabling rapid reconfiguration for diverse mission profiles.

ApusNeo18 is said to be the first Mira Aerospace platform to reach commercial maturity, delivering higher altitude, greater payload capacity, and a wider operational envelope. As for telecoms applications, the aircraft can be utilised in environmental monitoring and disaster response operations.

To scale its capabilities, Space42 says it will begin production at its dedicated HAPS manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi, one of the world’s only end-to-end, sovereign HAPS production lines. We reported in May the opening of this manufacturing facility, the first such in the MENA region.

Khaled Al Marzooqi, CEO of Mira Aerospace, Space42, says: “The successful test flight of ApusNeo18 marks the culmination of a comprehensive testing programme to commercialise our latest payload technology. Sustaining solar-powered flight and reaching stratospheric altitudes in this season demonstrate reliable performance at scale. This achievement accelerates Space42’s mission to deliver premium geospatial intelligence and reflects the pace and precision with which Mira Aerospace is engineering advanced, high-altitude systems.”