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Airbus-backed high-altitude platform specialist AALTO HAPS has confirmed that Australia is the preferred location for the next launch and landing site of its Zephyr solar-powered stratospheric aircraft, as the company moves to build a domestic payload and research ecosystem to support future operations.
The flight is scheduled for no earlier than late February, launching aboard Rocket Lab’s “That’s Not A Knife” mission from Launch Complex 2 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, operated by the Virginia Spaceport Authority. Final launch timing will be confirmed within 24 hours of the window opening.
In a recent article, scientists from Australia's Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation said the Airbus software update in November, which was rolled out in response to solar radiation causing dangerous glitches, highlights the financial risks to aviation of space weather events.
The agreement sets out a formal framework for closer co-operation, improved information sharing and clearer alignment between spaceflight and air navigation rules – a move officials have said will build industry confidence as Australia’s space sector continues to expand.
Delivered by Space Connect with support of principal partner Space Centre Australia, the agenda is designed to interrogate the major policy decisions, capability challenges and commercial opportunities emerging across the sector.
NASA has modified its contract with the aerospace and defence prime, which in 2014 awarded Boeing up to six crewed flights to the ISS, cutting the deal to four missions with options for two more while the upcoming mission in April 2026 will be uncrewed.
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