In a landmark achievement for the global aerospace industry, Sceye, an American company specializing in High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS), and SoftBank Corp., one of Japan's leading telecommunications operators, announced on September 3, 2026 the historic success of their Service Test 1 (ST1) mission. Launched from New Mexico on August 9, 2026, this transpacific mission traveled more than 15,000 kilometers through the stratosphere to reach Japan in just 13 days, marking a decisive step toward the commercial deployment of HAPS as permanent stratospheric infrastructure.
A Historic Transpacific Flight
The ST1 lifted off on August 9, 2026 at 7:00 AM MDT from New Mexico and traveled through the stratosphere at an altitude of approximately 16.5 km. Over 13 days, it crossed the Pacific Ocean to operate in Japanese-controlled airspace for more than seven days, continuously maintaining a station search radius of just 5 km — a remarkable precision demonstrating the system's stability. Upon arrival over Japan, the ST1 demonstrated the ability to deliver high-speed mobile connectivity to unmodified devices via SoftBank Corp.'s core network, including SMS, voice calls, Internet access, video streaming, emergency calls via a large-scale disaster alert messaging system, and drone communications, paving the way for the development of a three-dimensional communication network.
World Firsts in Edge Computing
One of the most remarkable achievements of the ST1 mission was the demonstration of edge computing directly aboard the HAPS. Using a server installed on the platform, Sceye and SoftBank achieved an average round-trip response time of just 68 milliseconds, representing a reduction in communication latency of more than 40% compared to cloud processing via the Internet. This is the world's first successful test in which a mobile core network and a web processing server were installed on a HAPS, enabling all response processing to be performed onboard and results to be transmitted back to smartphones. Communication performance matched that of terrestrial networks while reducing radio interference with ground base stations.
“This flight marks a decisive turning point for Sceye and for the commercial potential of HAPS. A flight between the United States and Japan demonstrates the performance needed to make the stratosphere a viable infrastructure layer and realize the future of AI, edge computing, and 6G. Working with SoftBank, we are going beyond simply validating the technology to show how Sceye can complement and extend existing networks, and deliver permanent connectivity at scale.” – Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, Founder and CEO of Sceye
SceyeCELL: A Cell Tower in the Stratosphere
The ST1 carried SceyeCELL, a unique technology described as a 'cell tower in the sky,' designed to provide high-speed, wide-coverage mobile access directly to standard devices from the stratosphere, without requiring any modification to user terminals. The stratosphere represents an ideal vantage point: close enough to Earth for high-speed connectivity while offering extensive coverage. When deployed at full scale, a Sceye HAPS is designed to cover an area equivalent to approximately 500 terrestrial base stations. Operating like geostationary satellites but 1,800 times closer to Earth and at a much lower cost, Sceye's HAPS offer the advantages of a space presence without the constraints and costs of orbital deployment.
A Strategic Partnership for the 6G Era
In 2025, SoftBank Corp. invested in Sceye's HAPS infrastructure as a scalable solution complementing terrestrial antennas and satellite constellations. This strategic partnership promotes a shared vision of HAPS and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) as transformative infrastructure capable of extending connectivity, supporting disaster communications, and enabling future applications in AI, IoT, aerial communications, edge computing, and 6G. The ST1 marks Sceye's first flight in Asia and represents a key milestone toward large-scale commercial HAPS deployment. At the time of the announcement, the ST1 was still in flight, returning to the United States over the Pacific Ocean, confirming the system's exceptional durability and reliability.
Opportunities for Quebec's Aerospace Sector
The rise of stratospheric platforms opens new prospects for Quebec's and Canada's aerospace ecosystem. HAPS technologies require specialized expertise in lightweight structure design, advanced materials, solar propulsion, embedded electronics, and telecommunications — all areas where Quebec holds globally recognized expertise. Aerospace engineers, embedded systems specialists, telecommunications technicians, and materials science experts looking to be part of this global innovation dynamic will find on AeroEmploi (aeroemploi.ca), Quebec's aerospace employment portal, the career opportunities that match their skills and ambitions.
Browse the latest aerospace job listings now at aeroemploi.ca and join the teams shaping the future of stratospheric connectivity and tomorrow's aerospace industry.