Mira Aerospace, the high-altitude platform systems (HAPS) subsidiary of UAE-based Space42, has announced the successful first public test flight of its solar-powered ApusNeo18 platform. The stratospheric test validated the aircraft’s endurance, resilience, and readiness for commercial deployment, even during November—typically a less favorable HAPS season in the UAE.
During the flight, ApusNeo18 carried an in-house Earth observation payload featuring high-resolution optical and infrared sensors with real-time data transmission. The test confirmed its ability to perform reliably across varying weather conditions and marked a major milestone for Space42’s HAPS programme.
Powered by solar energy, the ApusNeo18 features an 18-metre wingspan, an 18,000-metre altitude ceiling, and a 4-kilogram payload capacity. Its modular design allows rapid configuration for different mission profiles, bridging the gap between aviation and satellite systems with lower operational costs and high persistence.
Mira Aerospace says ApusNeo18 is its first platform to reach full commercial maturity, offering higher altitudes, greater payload capacity, and an expanded operational envelope. Beyond geospatial intelligence, the aircraft can support telecom applications such as environmental monitoring and disaster response.
To scale production, Space42 will manufacture ApusNeo18 at its dedicated HAPS facility in Abu Dhabi—one of the world’s few end-to-end sovereign HAPS production lines and the first in the MENA region.
Khaled Al Marzooqi, CEO of Mira Aerospace, said the achievement accelerates Space42’s mission to deliver premium geospatial intelligence and demonstrates the engineering pace behind its advanced stratospheric platforms.
