Space42 successfully completes first public test flight of ApusNeo18 HAPS in the UAE

At Dubai Airshow 2025, Mira Aerospace, the High Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) subsidiary of Space42, the UAE-based AI-powered SpaceTech company, announced the successful completion of the first public test flight of its advanced, solar-powered HAPS model, ApusNeo18. Reaching stratospheric altitudes, the flight validated the system’s endurance, resilience, and readiness for commercial deployment. The aircraft carried an advanced Earth Observation payload developed in-house by Mira Aerospace, combining high-resolution optical and infrared sensors with real-time data transmission.

Although conducted in November, the UAE’s less favorable HAPS season, the flight confirmed ApusNeo18’s ability to perform across varied weather conditions, an essential step toward global operations.

Khaled Al Marzooqi, CEO of Mira Aerospace, Space42, said, “The successful test flight of ApusNeo18 marks the culmination of a comprehensive testing program to commercialize our latest payload technology. Sustaining solar-powered flight and reaching stratospheric altitudes in this season demonstrates reliable performance at scale. This achievement accelerates Space42’s mission to deliver premium geospatial intelligence and reflects the pace and precision with which Mira Aerospace is engineering advanced, high-altitude systems.”

Strategic and Commercial Impact

ApusNeo18 is the first Mira Aerospace platform to reach commercial maturity, evolving from the ApusNeo14 subscale model. The new model delivers higher altitude, greater payload capacity, and a wider operational envelope.

The aircraft can be utilized in environmental monitoring and disaster response operations. Its proven performance opens high-value commercial opportunities while advancing practical applications that serve national and global needs.

Engineering Innovation

HAPS aircraft bridge the gap between aviation and space. They offer satellite-like persistence with aircraft-level flexibility at lower operational costs.

ApusNeo18 is a lightweight, solar-powered platform designed for sustained stratospheric missions. With an 18-meter wingspan, 18,000-meter altitude ceiling, and 4-kilogram payload capacity, it combines modular construction with in-flight agility, enabling rapid reconfiguration for diverse mission profiles.

Contributions to the UAE’s National Space Strategy

ApusNeo18 advances the UAE’s sovereign aerospace capabilities and is a core component of Space42’s AI-powered, multi-orbit architecture. The successful test flight places the UAE among a select group of nations that have publicly demonstrated sustained HAPS performance at stratospheric altitudes, supporting national goals under the UAE Space Strategy 2030.

To scale its capabilities, Space42 will begin production at its dedicated HAPS manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi, one of the world’s only end-to-end, sovereign HAPS production lines. This industrial investment further strengthens the UAE’s role as a regional hub for high-altitude innovation and dual-use aerospace technology.