Enduring Atmospheric Platforms

Meet the programme Creators and Partners

Eighteen funded teams (Creators) are working on technologies to enable aircraft to operate reliably and cost-effectively in the stratosphere. These platforms will provide the physical backbone for next-generation advanced communications and a path to connectivity for underserved regions.

We’re funding ambitious teams across three technical areas:

• TA1 | Enabling Technologies: developing game-changing enabling technologies that make the development of a full system comparatively low risk.

• TA2 | Systems Integration + Testing: developing and testing the platforms to achieve the primary metric – continuous delivery of power to a payload while keeping station.

• TA3 | Deployment + Communications Architecture: working closely with the technical teams, regulators, the telecoms industry, and investors to design communications architectures and plan their deployment in a commercially lucrative way, translating the programme’s technical breakthroughs into real-world impact.

They are supported by our Programme Partners, who are providing the necessary test sites and support, regulatory guidance, and validation to help ARIA funded Creator teams prove their experimental platforms can safely fly, maintain station at altitudes above commercial aviation, and continuously deliver 300W to a 20kg payload for a full week.