Dubai: Mira Aerospace, the High Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) subsidiary of UAE-based AI-powered SpaceTech company Space42 (ADX: SPACE42), has completed the first public test flight of its advanced solar-powered HAPS model, ApusNeo18, at the Dubai Airshow 2025.
The stratospheric flight validated ApusNeo18’s endurance, resilience, and readiness for commercial deployment, carrying an advanced Earth Observation payload developed in-house by Mira Aerospace. The payload integrates high-resolution optical and infrared sensors with real-time data transmission, offering cutting-edge geospatial intelligence capabilities.
Despite November being a less favorable season for HAPS operations in the UAE, ApusNeo18 demonstrated reliable performance across varied weather conditions, a key milestone toward global operations.
Day 2 at @DubaiAirshow 2025, and Space42 is showcasing how #SpaceTech is shaping the future of connectivity and intelligence.
Discover the #ForesightConstellation and how we are delivering real-time data geospatial intelligence. pic.twitter.com/5e1Na2gdx1
— Space42 (@space42ai) November 18, 2025
CEO of Mira Aerospace, Khaled Al Marzooqi stated that, “The successful test flight of ApusNeo18 marks the culmination of a comprehensive testing program to commercialize our latest payload technology. Supporting 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 significance
ApusNeo18 is the first Mira Aerospace platform to reach commercial maturity, evolving from the subscale ApusNeo14 model. The new aircraft offers higher altitude, increased payload capacity, and a wider operational envelope. It is designed for applications including environmental monitoring and disaster response, opening high-value commercial opportunities while contributing to national and global strategic needs.
Engineering innovation
Bridging the gap between aviation and space, HAPS aircraft deliver satellite-like persistence with aircraft-level flexibility at a lower operational cost. ApusNeo18 is a lightweight, solar-powered platform optimized for sustained stratospheric missions.
With an 18-meter wingspan, an altitude ceiling of 18,000 meters, and a 4-kilogram payload capacity, the aircraft combines modular construction with in-flight agility, allowing rapid reconfiguration for diverse missions.
Contribution to UAE’s space strategy
The successful ApusNeo18 flight strengthens the UAE’s sovereign aerospace capabilities and forms a core component of Space42’s AI-powered multi-orbit architecture. The achievement places the UAE among a select group of nations that have publicly demonstrated sustained HAPS performance at stratospheric altitudes, supporting goals under the UAE space strategy 2030.
To scale production, Space42 will begin manufacturing ApusNeo18 at its dedicated HAPS facility in Abu Dhabi, one of the world’s few end-to-end sovereign HAPS production lines. This investment strengthens the UAE’s role as a regional hub for high-altitude innovation and dual-use aerospace technology.
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