Observed Signal · Sep 24, 2026 · Technical Release · Source: PR Newswire: Advertising & Marketing · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Sceye and SoftBank Demo World-First HAPS Laser Ranging
Sceye, a US aerospace company developing High Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS), announced the world's first demonstration of laser ranging by tracking a HAPS from the ground. The demonstration was conducted by SoftBank Corp. during Sceye's record 30-day ST1 flight, which launched from New Mexico on August 9, 2026, and flew nearly 30,000 km to Japan and back. The ground team, using a compact, portable laser ranging system developed by Hitotsubashi University and a corner cube reflector on the HAPS developed by SoftBank and the National Institute of Polar Research, successfully tracked the stratospheric platform in real-time and received continuous reflected laser signals. This achievement is a critical step toward future optical wireless communication (free-space optics) connecting ground, stratosphere, and space for high-speed, high-capacity non-terrestrial networks.
Minor technical achievement relevant to telecom infrastructure and future connectivity, but distant from core AdTech/MarTech concerns.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Sceye and SoftBank Corp. demonstrated the world's first laser ranging by tracking a HAPS from the ground.
- The demonstration occurred during Sceye's record 30-day ST1 flight that traveled nearly 30,000 km from New Mexico to Japan and back.
- The ground team tracked the HAPS in real-time using a compact, portable system and continuously received reflected laser signals.
- The HAPS was equipped with a corner cube reflector (CCR) developed by NIPR and integrated by SoftBank.
- The demonstration aims to advance future free-space optical communication (FSO) between ground, stratosphere, and space.
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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