Stratobus prepares for lift-off
Thales Alenia Space is on course to fly a full-scale prototype of its Stratobus high-altitude 'drone satellite' by 2020, with a sub-scale demonstrator expected to take flight next year.
Able to be fitted with a variety of payloads including telecommunications, optical sensors and radar, the Stratobus is being marketed to both military and civil customers for persistent coverage capability that does not require the expensive launch of space satellites.
Yannick Combet, Stratobus project manager, said the main goal of activities right now is to manage the risk and move forward with the demonstrator. 'Then in 2020 we want to fly
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