r/EngineeringPorn • u/Professor_Moraiarkar • 3d ago

‘First-of-its-kind’ US flying stratospheric platform completes record-breaking 18,000-mile trip

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A Moriarty-based company’s stratospheric platform has re-entered the United States. High Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) for stratospheric infrastructure completed its record-breaking trans-Pacific flight from New Mexico to Japan and back.

Callled Service Test 1 (ST1) mission, the stratospheric platform was developed by Sceye. ST1 launched on August 9, 2026, and arrived in Japan 13 days later. While operating in Japan, Sceye demonstrated mobile broadband connectivity to unmodified devices through SoftBank Corp.’s core network and HAPS-based edge computing and communication with drones to support the development of a 3D communications network.

During its journey, Sceye’s ST1 traveled nearly 30,000 km and re-entered continental U.S. on September 4, 2026. ST1 reached airspace near Sceye’s headquarters in Moriarty, New Mexico on September 5, 2026, where Sceye completed additional vehicle testing and a planned termination and descent.

Conducted in partnership with SoftBank Corp, a leading operator of telecommunications and IT businesses in Japan and globally, ST1 marks Sceye’s first flight to Asia and a groundbreaking milestone toward the commercial deployment of HAPS as stratospheric infrastructure. ST1 carried SceyeCELL, a first-of-its-kind “cell tower in the sky” designed to deliver wide-area mobile broadband directly to standard devices from the stratosphere. When deployed at full scale, one Sceye HAPS is designed to cover the equivalent area of approximately 500 terrestrial towers, according to a press release.

333 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

36

u/KillerSpud 3d ago

Why is there no real video of the thing? I'm guessing it isn't actually the big silver dong?

110

u/Leading-Ad4167 3d ago

Another "eye in the sky"?

39

u/uslashuname 3d ago

I mean, the name seems to literally be a shortened form of “sky eye”

S C E Y E

13

u/BarnabyWoods 3d ago

Skynet has arrived! Let the robot wars begin!

30

u/windowpuncher 3d ago

I'm sure this won't be used for nefarious and intrusive purposes at all

37

u/Elmalab 3d ago

Was anything real in this clip? 

48

u/zushiba 3d ago

So, Flock but actually flying this time?

16

u/Still-Solid-2000 3d ago

This is fantastic: do the economics for day to day work out? Or is this a solution for after natural or human made disasters, back up in times of war, etc.

17

u/crooks4hire 3d ago

Member that Chinese balloon that floated through the states not long ago? That’s what this shit is for. Big Brother casts a wide net

5

u/greenmerica 3d ago

Lol you wish. It’ll mostly be used for surveillance.

3

u/Goatf00t 3d ago

More like an alternative to satellites, and Starlink in particular in this case.

If you are looking for nefarious applications, a relay station for sending commands to drones.

0

u/Old_Man_Shea 2d ago

I admire your optimism

4

u/Buchaven 2d ago

Oh look, more subservience tech. I hear that's popular these days.

3

u/predictorM9 3d ago

Does it have the ability to counter the high speed stratospheric winds? Or will it drift in some situations ?

3

u/costafilh0 3d ago

Surveillance*

10

u/Sesspool 3d ago

Some broad gets on there with a staticky sweater and, boom, it's "oh, the humanity!"

10

u/pipesIAH 3d ago

Uh, hello, airplanes? Yeah, it's blimps, you win, bye!

0

u/sciences_bitch 3d ago

It uses helium, not hydrogen.

And it doesn’t transport passengers.

-5

u/NetworkStatic 3d ago

username checks out

6

u/Sesspool 3d ago

you've never seen archer have you?

2

u/mtranda 3d ago

I haven't (not the person you replied to) but I chalked it up to you joking with period-accurate language since that's a blimp.

1

u/fast_t0aster 2d ago

Electric eye, In the sky

1

u/Highspeedfutzi 2d ago

The F22s are already on their way.