Sceye and SoftBank Corp. sign agreement for fleet of stratospheric platforms targeting nationwide coverage in Japan

Sceye, a U.S. aerospace and material science company building High Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) for stratospheric infrastructure, today announced a five-year Master Services Agreement (MSA) with SoftBank Corp. to manufacture, launch, and operate a fleet of Sceye's HAPS over Japan with the aim of achieving nationwide coverage. This agreement advances the companies' partnership from flight demonstrations toward full-scale stratospheric infrastructure.

Sceye's HAPS will form a key pillar of SoftBank's strategy for a Ubiquitous Network. The majority of Sceye's initial fleet will provide mobile broadband throughout Japan, while a subset will also establish a Free Space Optical (FSO) network in the stratosphere. These deployments advance the companies' shared vision for a 3D communication network that combines terrestrial infrastructure, stratospheric platforms, and satellites to expand reliable connectivity, support communications during disasters, and enable future applications across AI, IoT, aerial communications, edge computing, and 6G.

"We are moving into full-scale production of our stratospheric platforms," said Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, Founder and CEO of Sceye. "Our recent flight to Japan demonstrated how Sceye's platform can connect directly into existing networks and support multiple applications during a single mission, proving the value of the stratosphere as the Earth's next infrastructure layer. Now it's time to scale – and together with SoftBank, we are prepared to provide persistent, high-capacity connectivity and adjacent services where it is needed most."

"This agreement represents the commercialisation of HAPS and the realisation of our vision for Ubiquitous Transformation," said Masayuki Kamimura, Senior Director of SoftBank Corp.'s Ubiquitous Network Planning Division. "Building on the successful flight demonstration in Japan, we are excited to take the next step with Sceye toward bringing stratospheric connectivity into commercial use. By combining Sceye's advanced HAPS technology with SoftBank's telecommunications expertise, we aim to create a resilient, three-dimensional communications network that seamlessly connects the ground, sky, and space, expanding connectivity, strengthening disaster preparedness, and enabling new possibilities in the 6G era."

The agreement follows Sceye's successful 30-day Service Test 1 (ST1) mission, in partnership with SoftBank, which launched from New Mexico on August 9, 2026, and travelled in the stratosphere to Japan and back. ST1 carried SceyeCell, a first-of-its-kind "cell tower in the sky" that delivers wide-area mobile broadband directly to standard devices from the stratosphere. During a week of operations over Japan, Sceye and SoftBank demonstrated text messaging, voice calls, internet access, and video streaming. Testing included emergency communications, indoor connectivity, HAPS-based remote drone control, and edge computing performed directly aboard the platform. The mission also supported a world-first demonstration of stratospheric laser ranging by tracking a HAPS from the ground, advancing future FSO communications between ground, stratosphere, and space.

The stratosphere offers the optimal vantage point, close enough to Earth for high-capacity connectivity and observation, yet high enough for wide-area reach. It offers space-like conditions without the cost of being in space or the disadvantages of being in orbit. Sceye's HAPS maintain altitude and area of operation through consecutive day and night cycles, operating like geostationary satellites, only 1,800 times closer to Earth and at a fraction of the cost.

SoftBank invested in Sceye initially as part of their Series C funding round in 2025. The new MSA establishes the next phase of that strategic partnership, scaling manufacturing, launches, and operations to deliver stratospheric services over Japan.