By Sergio Díaz, Responsible for the Special Programs and Strategic Projects Area at the Technology Park of Fuerteventura
The Technology Park of Fuerteventura (PTFSA) is leading one of the main initiatives worldwide for the development of persistent flight unmanned aerial systems, specially for HAPS, through the Canarias Stratoport for HAPS & UAS.
Located in Fuerteventura, in the Canary Islands, our pioneer ground infrastructure consists of a 900 meter runway, a circular area of 500 meter radius free of obstacles for the deployment and retrieval of HAPS/UAS missions, and auxiliary infrastructure to ensure safe operations.
Based on this existing infrastructure, PTFSA is mainly dedicated to the development of technology-based initiatives and projects in the field of HAPS and UAS. It is home to various national and international companies and startups and is a meeting place for innovation and development projects.
As part of my duties, I am responsible for the Special Programs and Strategic Projects Area of the Park. This area identifies, leads and coordinates significant interrelated initiatives within the “Canarias Geo Innovation Program 2030,” fostered by the Government of the Canary Islands to develop innovative solutions based on HAPS systems, to improve public services to citizens and companies.
To develop and deploy these public services, the program is based on two fundamental pillars:
- The Canarias Stratoport for HAPS & Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), which is a ground infrastructure for the integration, testing, validation, maintenance and operation of unmanned aerial platforms, especially HAPS, as it is shown in the picture above.
- The ISSEC (International Smart Center for Biodiversity, Security, Emergencies), which is a building that hosts control centers, simulator rooms, and mission operation rooms, as well as the reception, analysis, and processing of the data gathered by the UAS/HAPS.
Our HAPS knowledge comes from preliminary market consultations performed between 2018 and 2020 where we learned about the key drivers for HAPS technologies. Thanks to those surveys, we were able to involve our regional government to foster technology-based initiatives for HAPS. These are the foundations of the Canarias Geo Innovation Program 2030.
The HAPS Alliance is growing more and more every year and we believe it is important to be a member to keep in touch with the stakeholders within the HAPS industry. The strength of the HAPS Alliance comes from its member diversity. This kind of organization is crucial for the development of higher airspace operations since it connects all stakeholders, allows them to communicate, and serves to inform regulators, Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), and governments. As a HAPS ground infrastructure provider, we have a holistic interest in regulatory areas affecting HAPS/UAS operations, communications, the concept of operations definition, interfaces with USSPs (U-space Service Providers) and CISP (Common Information Service Providers), risk analysis, and so on.