Wisconsin-based communications company Sanswire has introduced an almost-finished prototype for its “Stratellite,” an unmanned airship that can deliver mobile phone signals from Earth’s stratosphere.
When finished, the 245-foot-long (75-meter), robot-piloted, solar-powered airship will resemble a double-tailed whale.
Flying above the jet stream but lower than a satellite — and one-tenth the cost at $25 million to $30 million — the Stratellite also would render land-based cell-phone towers obsolete, its makers say.
A description of the Stratellite, provided by Sanswire, reveals more about their innovation:
A Stratellite is a high-altitude airship that when in place in the stratosphere will provide a stationary platform for transmitting various types of wireless communications services currently transmitted from cell towers and satellites. It is not a balloon or a blimp. It is a high-altitude airship.
Made of Spectra and powered by solar powered electrical engines, each Stratellite will reach its final altitude by utilizing proprietary lifting gas technology. Once in place at 65,000 feet (approx. 13 miles) and safely above the jet stream, each Stratellite will remain in one GPS coordinate, providing the ideal wireless transmission platform. The Stratellites are unmanned airships and will be monitored from the Company’s Operation Centers on the ground.
A Stratellite will have a payload capacity of several thousand pounds and clear line-of-sight to approximately 300,000 square miles, an area roughly the size of Texas.
When it comes time for implementation, Sanswire foresees having stratellites in place over each major city in the US. The company is looking to conduct a test flights for the Stratellite during this upcoming summer.
Reuters also offers a quote from GlobeTel, the parent company of Sanswire, explaining their goal for the communications airship:
“We’re shooting for satellite replacement at a lower cost,” said Leigh Coleman, president of Sanswire parent GlobeTel Communications Corp. “We believe this will change the way you communicate.”
Chris Richardson is a search engine writer and editor for Murdok. Visit Murdok for the latest search news.
