Benjamin Peter 06:24, February 15, 2023
The destruction of a Chinese balloon and several unidentified flying objects in the American sky has highlighted the existence and the strategic interest of these stratospheric balloons.
In Toulouse, the Hemeria company is the only European company that develops this kind of manoeuvrable structures, capable of being guided.
If the affair of the stratospheric balloons shot down in the American sky made the general public discover these strange structures, the Toulouse company Hemeria has been working on them for several years on behalf of the national center for space studies (CNES).
The company, the only one in Europe to look into these machines, has been developing a maneuverable balloon since 2019, which is moved by guiding it towards strong winds.
With 25 meters in diameter, it can lift up to 100kg of payload.
With a scientific objective for the CNES but also strategic for the general direction of the armament.
Credit: Hemeria
"The cost to implement it is quite low. We can change its payload when we want. The satellite, once it is landed in geostationary, will pass every two hours in the best case. We, c "is permanent. You position it in one place and you will be able to follow a convoy to the nearest second", explains Cyril Bakir, commercial director of Hemeria.
"The Chinese ball for our sector had an incredible boom effect"
Since the war in Ukraine, general manager Nicolas Multan has noticed a real interest in his programme.
Perhaps even more in recent weeks: "The Chinese balloon for our sector has had an incredible boom effect. Because there everyone knows what a stratospheric balloon is, everyone has understood the geopolitical, strategic and military issues. which can take place in the stratosphere. When the balloon is available, we already know, on certain themes, that the markets exist and are waiting for us".
>>
READ ALSO
- Beijing accuses American balloons of violating its airspace, Washington denies
To the point that Nicolas Multan has chosen to shorten the calendar for the industrialization of Hemeria's balloon.
Initially planned for 2027, to meet demand, it should finally be marketed in 2025.