By Matthew Nicholson, HAPS Alliance Marketing and Communications Working Group Chair
Over 250 people representing 17 countries registered for our two-day, virtual HAPS Alliance Summit. The large attendance is evidence of the increased interest in HAPS Alliance’s mission and efforts to ensure that HAPS technologies realize commercial viability.
Since our 2020 launch, the HAPS Alliance has grown from 12 to 44 member companies – experts in non-terrestrial technologies and networking looking to bring connectivity to more people, places, and things worldwide with HAPS solutions.
HAPS Alliance President Ken Riordan kicked off the Summit by emphasizing the importance of ensuring that HAPS launches to new heights.
“The HAPS Alliance and our member companies are working every day to do something about the challenges faced by the billions of people that don’t have internet connectivity. Our member companies are making great advancements in aircraft technology, telecommunication technologies and antenna capabilities,” said Riordan in his opening address. “I can also ensure you we’re not doing this in a vacuum. We firmly believe that for HAPS technologies to achieve wide-scale commercial success, it will be necessary for HAPS to exist in a heterogeneous network of land, sky and space assets.”
Experts and guest speakers presented on ways to unlock a HAPs-enabled world:
6G Era: The World in 2030 with HAPS/NTN
- Ryuji Wakikawa, Vice President and Head of the Advanced Technology Division at SoftBank Corp. and HAPSMobile Board Director, discussed the role of HAPS and other Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) solutions, and the new use cases they will bring in the 6G era.
Climate Change: HAPS for Methane Monitoring
- Sceye is using HAPS to monitor methane and other greenhouse gases in real-time, providing a critical tool for enforcing climate targets.
HAPS Action Against Wildfires
- Experts from Airbus Defence and Space, Raven Aerostar, NASA and US Forest Service looked at HAPS Alliance member companies’ involvement in this field and how HAPS can contribute to wildfire suppression.
Alliance Progress in Aviation, Telecommunications and Marketing Communications
- World ATM Congress efforts to socialize the HAPS concept with the air traffic management.
- Unlocking the Potential of the Stratosphere highlighting member achievements.
Available exclusively for HAPS Alliance members, day two of the Summit brought together Alliance Officers, Board Directors, Members, and Working Groups for workshops, networking and interactive discussions. Topics included Utilizing the Loon Collection, Multi-Altitude Strategy and Collaboration, and the HAPS Radiowave Propagation Prediction Method (ITU-R Standard).
Looking ahead to 2022, the HAPS Alliance will continue to grow and drive forward advancements to the HAPS ecosystem. From Summits and Member Meetings to publishing papers highlighting industry and member company achievements, there will be many opportunities for collaboration.
All companies interested in the HAPS ecosystem are encouraged to become HAPS Alliance members and get involved in the various membership initiatives, including working groups, member-only meetings, and collaboration with other HAPS Alliance members to work on technology components and use cases for enabling a smarter world. Learn more by visiting our membership page.