Deimos-One, a leading aerospace and defense technology company, has announced the successful development of a new state-of-the-art Earth observation platform for stratospheric intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), and communications across land, sea, air, and space.
The new platform, named 'HALO', will combine Deimos-One's innovative stratospheric technology and robust station-keeping abilities with multi-mission solution architecture to deliver real-time data and uninterrupted communications in near-space environments.
HALO is equipped with advanced control systems and propulsion technology, enabling it to change altitude and direction quickly and precisely, in real-time. Its proprietary onboard system will allow for point-to-point navigation over large distances and persistent flight over specific areas, even in adverse weather conditions.
Capable of operating at altitudes up to 130,000 feet, HALO will deliver real-time data and uninterrupted communications from high altitudes and provide longer observation and flight times than traditional ISR solutions at a much lower cost.
The unique payload design also allows it to remain aloft for extended periods, up to several weeks, making it an ideal platform for long-term observation missions.
It will deliver commercial, scientific, and government payloads to the near-space environment with revolutionary new control capabilities including precision landing and payload recovery.
"We are excited to introduce this new technology to the military and scientific communities," said Sinetac Brown, co-founder and chief technology officer. "The stratosphere is an important area for military ISR and Earth observation because it is high above commercial air traffic, and it allows for a wide field of view. However, traditional stratospheric systems have been limited in their maneuverability, making it very difficult to capture the data required for these critical missions. HALO's maneuverability and range will greatly enhance its capabilities for ISR and Earth observation, providing quality, real-time data to decision-makers."
The new multi-domain system will carry advanced defense and aerospace payloads, while adding capabilities including ISR and electronic warfare sensors, communication networks, cyber intelligence, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data transport. HALO will also host sensors that provide a full C5ISR architecture, including high-resolution imagery of Earth.
"We are excited to scale and expand our Earth observation and autonomous information gathering capabilities," said Jamin Thompson, Deimos-One's co-founder and chief executive officer. "HALO will fill a critical gap in the remote sensing ecosystem, providing more versatility and configurability as the platform is able to capture higher resolution imagery than satellites and fly longer missions than traditional aircraft and drones. With HALO, we're combining our high-altitude Earth observation and data science capabilities and adding additional features like ISR, artificial intelligence, cyber intelligence, data transport, machine learning, and hypersonic defense within a single dedicated platform. HALO will be the fastest and most reliable near-space platform in the world. It can be launched, positioned, responsive, and operational within several hours, enabling our customers to access bespoke round-the-clock, ultra-persistent near-space operations at a fraction of the cost of traditional systems."
HALO is capable of launching from a single area and being reliably positioned within hours versus days or weeks for round-the-clock operations. It can perform station-keeping missions in one area, and then transition to a different area to study a new environment, even across hundreds of miles, while maintaining operational altitudes for the duration of the mission.
The platform is the lightest and fastest deployable near-space system in the world, allowing a single operator to launch in 30 minutes or less.
The company recently demonstrated the rapidly deployable, highly maneuverable, ultra-persistent wide area observation platform as part of Deimos-One's Project Sky Dragon.
The HALO-1 robot launched from Los Angeles, performing several key station-keeping events before transitioning southeast to more desert environments. HALO successfully performed all stratospheric beyond-line-of-sight operations and maintained the altitudes set by Deimos-One for the duration of the mission. The payload was successfully recovered and is expected to be re-flown in future missions later this year.