Designed to hover above the earth for months at a time, Sceye’s monitoring stations can capture real-time data on wildfires, flooding and greenhouse gases. They can also provide wireless service to people on the ground during large-scale disasters.
A startup building massive, bullet-shaped helium balloons that float in the stratosphere has raised US$15 million ($19 million) from Japan’s SoftBank Corp. — part of an effort to monitor climate data and bring connectivity to hard-to-reach areas.
The company, called Sceye Inc., has built more than 20 of its zeppelin-like airships, stationed at a sprawling 41,600-square-foot warehouse in New Mexico. The vehicles — technically called high-altitude platform stations — are 214 feet long, almost the size of a Boeing 747’s wingspan, and are equipped with specialised cameras and radars.
