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News: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully carries out maiden flight-trials of Stratospheric Airship Platform from Sheopur Trial site, in Madhya Pradesh.
About Stratospheric Airship Platform
- It is a high-altitude, lighter-than-air unmanned system designed to carry instrumentation payloads to the stratosphere—approximately 17 km above the earth’s surface.
- Developed by: Agra-based Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment under supervision of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)
Key Features of Platform
- It was positioned above commercial air traffic and weather systems.
- It was launched with an instrumental payload to an altitude of around 17 km.
- It completed the 62-minute endurance flight successfully.
- Technology: The Platform used helium-filled envelopes for buoyancy.
- The airships use propulsion systems, using electric motors, to maintain station-keeping or navigate over specific regions.
Significance: It will deliver telecommunications, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and scientific research at a fraction of the cost of traditional satellites.
