Space42 Conducts Europe’s First Licensed HAPS Flight

Mira Aerospace, the High Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) subsidiary of Space42, the UAE-based AI-powered SpaceTech company, has conducted the first HAPS flight after obtaining civilian operational approval, in Europe. Executed by Mira Aerospace’s ApusNeo18 HAPS model for Telespazio Ibérica, part of the Leonardo group, the flight demonstrates how HAPS can safely operate and deliver real-time intelligence for critical environmental monitoring operations.

HAPS for wildfire response
The mission is part of the ISSEC program, a joint venture between Telespazio Ibérica and Pegasus Aero Group, which focuses on developing Spain’s wildfire-response infrastructure. HAPS offer satellite-like persistence with aircraft-level flexibility at lower operational costs. Its ability to transmit high-resolution electro-optical and infrared imagery in real time makes it well-suited for emergency management, environmental monitoring, and national infrastructure protection.
The data collected in the coming weeks will lay the foundation for future stratospheric services and help determine the extent of operational value of Mira Aerospace’s platforms for civil-protection missions.