AALTO targets Australia as Zephyr’s second operating site

British company AALTO HAPS Ltd, an Airbus subsidiary that manufactures, operates, and will deliver services using the Zephyr high altitude, solar-powered stratocraft, is targeting its second launch and landing site to be built in the Northern Territory. Zephyr operates in Stratospace, an aerospace domain at 60,000ft and above (20km and more) that bridges space and ground technology to deliver applications from near-space. Currently, this is a domain not accessed by commercial operators other than weather balloons.

Weighing only 75kg with a 25m wingspan, Zephyr uses solar radiation to power its ascent and descent, as well as persistent flight in the stratosphere. In 2025, while still in development, Zephyr achieved a record 67 days of continuous flight, which included its operation in Australian airspace and successful connectivity payload testing. Its engineering design ensures it withstands extreme operating conditions.

With its location near the equator, northern Australia has been identified as a suitable region that meets the required criteria for an AALTOPORT, complementing AALTO’s existing launch and landing base in Kenya opened in 2024. AALTO is based in Farnborough and was established in 2022.

The announcement comes alongside AALTO’s call to Australian industry R&D and education bodies as it seeks to cultivate a national Stratospace technology ecosystem that will help create and deliver dual-use services for commercial and government customers in areas such as communications relay and earth observation.

“By kick-starting efforts to create a payload network of homegrown Australian technologies, there is potential to create significant value for commercial and government stakeholders while we explore opportunities for an operational AALTOPORT in-country,” said Hughes Bounois, CEO of AALTO..”

Through 2026 AALTO will continue its commercial roadmap as it delivers on-station demonstrations for its customers while investing in Zephyr’s technology and operational roadmap, he adds. “At the same time, we anticipate that Australia and the wider Asia-Pacific will be a strategic growth market for AALTO this decade. We look forward to working closely with national innovators such as the Northern Territory Government to begin our next mission: to Unlock Stratospace in Australia.”

AALTO will set out its plan for innovation in Australia at NTDefence Week, the Northern Territory’s flagship defence summit in Darwin in April 2026, it says. The company is seeking new payload collaborators and will unveil its technical interface and commercial roadmap. In partnership with the Northern Territory Government, AALTO will engage directly with Australian payload providers, research institutions and technology partners to explore integration opportunities and define technical specifications during exclusive “Industry Engagements & Dialogues”. 

The company points out that to be integrated with Zephyr, at a minimum payloads would require high power volumes; access to aircraft GPS/INS feed and command-and-control datalinks; and be capable of operating at up to 80,000ft where temperatures range from -80°C to +60°C.

“As AALTO has been developing this stratospheric operating platform, we have been engaging governments in Australia about how the platform could support a wide range of uses across the region,” said Stephen Forshaw, Chief Representative Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific at Airbus. “Vast distances make new solutions like Zephyr attractive, whether they be interoperable with satellites or able to provide distinct benefits without the need for a more expensive satellite platform.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity for Australian universities, researchers and innovators to partner with AALTO to develop very specialised payloads that bring the use possibilities for the Zephyr stratocraft to life,” he added. “Australia and Australian researchers can play a leading role in the development of this new aerospace domain.”

Beyond these sessions, AALTO says it aims to develop collaboration with public and private sector stakeholders to assess feasibility studies for uses of the Zephyr stratocraft, and unlock funding pathways that accelerate development of Australian capability and global competitiveness in Stratospace.

Zephyr’s development as a complementary, cost-effective and flexible asset for mobile network operators and government customers could be highly relevant to Australia, the company says, with applications ranging from Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) to connectivity-on-demand (including direct-to-device connectivity), as well as high-resolution imagery and mapping.

Zephyr’s applications can be particularly impactful during natural disasters or to monitor impact of climate-related events such as drought, floods, fires and deforestation, it adds.

Be the Interface is open to organisations in Australia and New Zealand with proven payload development capabilities. Following reviews of submissions, AALTO will down select companies in March and circulate invitations to the Industry Dialogues during the NTDefence conference.