This article is based on an official press release from Sceye.

Sceye, a U.S.-based aerospace and materials science company, has successfully completed a record-breaking stratospheric flight as part of its Endurance Program. According to an official press release from the company, its “SE2” High-Altitude Platform System (HAPS) remained airborne for more than 12 days, traveling over 6,400 miles from New Mexico to the coast of Brazil.

The mission marks a significant milestone in the development of stratospheric infrastructure for telecommunications and environmental monitoring. By demonstrating the ability to maintain long-duration flights, Sceye is moving closer to deploying its technology for commercial use, which aims to provide persistent connectivity and real-time data collection from the edge of space.

The successful flight validates several core systems, including power management and hull integrity, paving the way for pre-commercial test flights scheduled for later this year. We view this development as a critical step forward for the fast-growing stratospheric industry.

Breaking Records in the Stratosphere

The SE2 platform launched on March 25, 2026, at 8:26 a.m. Mountain Time from Sceye’s facilities in New Mexico. Over the course of its 12-day journey, the airship navigated international airspace before concluding its mission with a controlled flight termination in international waters off the Brazilian coast.

During the flight, the HAPS spent more than 88 hours hovering over specific operational areas. This included one full day-night cycle (diurnal) over New Mexico and three consecutive diurnals off the coast of Brazil. The company noted in its release that the platform achieved a station-seeking radius as low as one kilometer, demonstrating precise navigational control.

Validating Core Technologies

A critical achievement of the Endurance Program was the successful closing of both the power and pressure loops. Sceye’s platform relies on solar power gathered during daylight hours to charge its onboard batteries, which then sustain operations throughout the night.

Additionally, the flight validated the structural integrity of the company’s first fully in-house manufactured hull. By maintaining vehicle pressure through multiple day-night cycles, Sceye has proven the viability of its design for extended missions in the harsh conditions of the stratosphere.

The Future of Stratospheric Infrastructure

The completion of the Endurance Program provides Sceye with the necessary data and configuration protocols to advance toward months-long, and eventually years-long, flights. This capability is essential for the company’s vision of creating a “cell tower in the sky” to bridge connectivity gaps and monitor environmental changes.

Sceye recently unveiled SceyeCELL, a stratospheric telecommunications antenna designed to deliver high-speed connectivity at scale. The ability to keep these antennas stationary over specific regions for extended periods could revolutionize disaster response and rural broadband access.

“This is the defining step toward unlocking the stratosphere as a new layer of infrastructure,” said Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, Founder and CEO of Sceye, in the company’s press release.

Pre-Commercial Flights on the Horizon

With the Endurance Program concluded, Sceye is shifting its focus to pre-commercial deployment. The company announced that its first pre-commercial test flight is scheduled to launch this summer in Japan.

This upcoming mission aims to establish a successful backhaul connection into SoftBank Corp.’s core network. The demonstration will also highlight the platform’s potential to provide expanded connectivity during emergency and disaster response scenarios.

AirPro News analysis

The successful 12-day flight of Sceye’s SE2 platform represents a maturing of High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) technology. While the concept of stratospheric airships has been explored for decades, achieving reliable power management and structural durability over multiple day-night cycles has historically been a significant hurdle.

We believe Sceye’s ability to close the power and pressure loops using an in-house manufactured hull suggests that the industry is moving past the experimental phase. If the upcoming pre-commercial tests with SoftBank in Japan are successful, it could signal the beginning of a new era in telecommunications, where stratospheric platforms complement traditional ground towers and low-Earth orbit satellites.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a High-Altitude Platform System (HAPS)?

A High-Altitude Platform System (HAPS) is an aircraft or airship that operates in the stratosphere, typically at altitudes around 60,000 feet. These platforms are designed to stay aloft for extended periods, providing services such as telecommunications, Earth observation, and weather monitoring.

How does Sceye’s platform stay powered at night?

According to the company’s press release, Sceye’s platforms use solar panels to generate electricity during the day. This energy is used to power the vehicle and charge onboard batteries, which then sustain the platform’s operations throughout the night.

When will Sceye begin commercial operations?

Sceye is preparing for its first pre-commercial test flights in the summer of 2026 in Japan, in partnership with SoftBank Corp. Full commercial deployment timelines have not been explicitly detailed, but the company is advancing toward months-long flight capabilities.

Sources

• Sceye

This article is based on an official press release from EDGX / PRNewswire.

Belgian spacetech company EDGX has successfully launched its first in-orbit demonstration of STERNA, an advanced AI-powered edge computer designed specifically for satellite constellations. The launch took place aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-16 mission, successfully placing two hosted payloads into orbit.

According to the official press release, this deployment enables real-time data processing directly in space. This capability is increasingly critical for next-generation satellite networks spanning commercial, governmental, and defense applications, where speed and bandwidth are paramount.

By bringing high-performance computing to orbit, EDGX aims to shift the industry paradigm from traditional data collection to immediate, in-space analysis, significantly reducing the reliance on ground-based infrastructure for raw data processing.

The STERNA Computing Platform

The core of EDGX’s recent deployment is STERNA, an NVIDIA-powered computing platform engineered specifically for the harsh constraints of the space environment. The press release notes that the system is designed to handle high-performance workloads directly onboard satellites, bringing terrestrial computing power to orbit.

Engineering for Orbital Constraints

Operating in space requires significant adaptability, particularly regarding power and thermal management. STERNA addresses this challenge by dynamically scaling its power consumption between 10W and 45W. According to the company, this flexibility ensures that continuous data processing can occur even under varying environmental and thermal conditions.

Furthermore, EDGX states that the system is built for long-term reliability, targeting an operational lifetime of seven years in orbit.

Strategic Milestones and Industry Impact

This successful in-orbit demonstration represents a significant step forward for Europe’s space-based computing infrastructure. The launch builds upon EDGX’s recent financial momentum, following a €2.3 million seed funding round completed in June 2025.

Leadership Perspectives

Company leadership emphasized the transformative nature of this technology for the broader space industry, noting that the future of orbital operations relies on intelligent systems.

“This launch marks a key milestone for EDGX and for Europe’s position in space-based computing. By bringing high-performance compute directly into orbit, we’re enabling satellites to move from data collection platforms to real-time decision-making systems.”

Destrycker further noted in the release that the next phase of the space industry will be defined by in-orbit compute, turning satellites into software-defined systems capable of processing data exactly where it is generated.

Operational Advantages of Edge Computing in Space

Integrating NVIDIA-class compute performance into space architecture allows for a new generation of software-defined satellites. According to the company’s announcement, these satellites can run advanced AI workloads, ranging from Earth observation analytics to real-time signal intelligence, directly at the source.

Overcoming Traditional Bottlenecks

Historically, satellite operators have faced the bottleneck of transmitting massive raw datasets back to Earth for processing. By analyzing data in orbit, STERNA significantly reduces latency and cuts bandwidth usage.

This efficiency translates to faster decision-making for operators on the ground. In defense scenarios, for instance, the press release highlights that this capability provides a tangible operational advantage by minimizing the time between battlefield detection and actionable response.

AirPro News analysis

We observe that the push toward edge computing in space is rapidly accelerating as satellite constellations grow in size and complexity. EDGX’s successful deployment on SpaceX’s Transporter-16 mission underscores a broader industry trend: the transition from “dumb” relay satellites to “smart” orbital nodes.

The ability to process data at the edge, especially using established architectures like NVIDIA’s, lowers the barrier to entry for advanced AI applications in orbit. While the targeted seven-year lifespan and 10W-45W power scaling are promising specifications, the true test will be the sustained performance of these high-performance computing systems in the high-radiation environment of low Earth orbit over the coming years. If successful, this technology could drastically alter how Earth observation and signal intelligence data are commercialized and utilized.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is STERNA?

STERNA is an AI-powered edge computer for satellites developed by Belgian spacetech company EDGX. It is designed to process high-performance workloads and analyze data directly in orbit.

How does STERNA manage power in space?

According to the company, the system dynamically scales its power usage between 10W and 45W to adapt to varying power and thermal conditions in space.

What mission launched the STERNA payloads?

The EDGX payloads were launched into orbit aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-16 mission.

Sources

• EDGX Press Release via PRNewswire / Yahoo Finance

This article is based on an official press release from NASA.

NASA’s Artemis II crew has successfully beamed back the first official photographs from their historic lunar flyby, offering humanity a fresh perspective on the Moon and our home planet. The images, captured during a seven-hour transit of the lunar far side on April 6, 2026, include unprecedented views of a rare in-space solar eclipse and detailed geological features.

According to an official press release from the space agency, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen utilized a suite of cameras to document the journey. The visual data not only marks a monumental milestone in human spaceflight but also provides a wealth of scientific information for researchers back on Earth. We view these images as a critical bridge between the Apollo era and the future of lunar exploration.

Unprecedented Views of a Solar Eclipse

During their transit, the Artemis II crew experienced a total solar eclipse from a vantage point no human has ever occupied. Because of their unique position behind the Moon, the crew witnessed the lunar disk completely obscure the Sun.

The resulting images reveal a glowing halo around the darkened Moon. NASA scientists are currently investigating whether this luminous effect is caused by the Sun’s corona, zodiacal light, or a combination of both phenomena. From deep space, the crew observed nearly 54 minutes of totality, a duration far exceeding what is typically visible from Earth.

Lunar Geology and Meteoroid Impacts

Beyond the eclipse, the astronauts documented the rugged terrain of the lunar far side. The crew photographed impact craters, such as the Vavilov crater, alongside ancient lava flows and surface fractures. These detailed observations are expected to help scientists better understand the Moon’s geologic evolution and composition.

In a surprising real-time observation, the crew also reported witnessing six meteoroid impact flashes on the darkened lunar surface. This rare visual data adds a dynamic element to the mission’s scientific return, providing researchers with fresh insights into the frequency and visibility of lunar impacts.

Scientific and Inspirational Impact

The imagery has already sparked excitement among NASA leadership and the broader scientific community. The visual documentation is seen as a critical stepping stone for future lunar surface missions and eventual crewed flights to Mars.

“Our four Artemis II astronauts, Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy, took humanity on an incredible journey around the Moon and brought back images so exquisite and brimming with science, they will inspire generations to come,”

cited Dr. Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, in the agency’s press release.

Jacob Bleacher, NASA’s chief exploration scientist, noted that the high-resolution images are helping ground teams fully grasp the crew’s experience.

“At first, their descriptions didn’t quite match what we were seeing on our screens,”

Bleacher explained in the release, emphasizing the value of the newly downlinked data in bridging the gap between the crew’s visual experience and mission control’s telemetry.

Mission Implications

AirPro News analysis

While the primary goal of Artemis II is to test the Orion spacecraft’s life support and navigation systems, the public release of these high-resolution images serves a vital strategic purpose. Visually striking media is essential for maintaining public interest and securing ongoing funding for the Artemis program. We note that the agency’s prompt release of these photos mirrors the cultural impact of the Apollo 8 “Earthrise” image, aiming to capture the imagination of a new generation.

Furthermore, the extended duration of the solar eclipse observed by the crew highlights the unique scientific opportunities afforded by deep-space human exploration. As NASA prepares for Artemis III and the establishment of a sustained lunar presence, these early visual and geological surveys will be instrumental in selecting future landing sites and planning surface operations.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When were the Artemis II lunar flyby photos taken?
The images were captured on Monday, April 6, 2026, during the crew’s seven-hour flyby of the lunar far side.

Who are the astronauts on the Artemis II mission?
The crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

What unique astronomical event did the crew photograph?
The crew photographed a rare in-space total solar eclipse, experiencing nearly 54 minutes of totality as the Moon completely blocked the Sun from their vantage point.

Sources

• NASA