High altitude platform station (HAPS) is a kind of telecommunication and observation platform which is located in the stratosphere flying at the height of almost 20 Km. Other names given to these are atmospheric satellites, pseudo satellites or towers in the sky. HAPS systems can offer different services, such as the connexion to the Internet, remote sensing, navigation and surveillance in territories. Where the terrestrials and satellite systems limitation occurs. The systems can be either aircraft or balloons and they can be airborne or aloft for weeks or even months. This system also offers the several advantages over the traditional systems like the cost-effective solution, less time delay, high resolution, more versatility and eco-friendly.
Types of HAPS systems
There are two main types of HAPS systems: birds and flying insects and other objects such as aircraft and balloons. HAPS systems in aircrafts are typically UAVs such that are powered by solar energy or hydrogen. They are aerodynamic with wing and propeller like structure; it can move and hover in the sky. Some types of aircraft HAPS systems include Airbus’ Zephyr1, SoftBank’s HAWK302 and Facebook’s Aquila. Balloon HAPS systems are typically large balloons filled with helium and that depend on air currents to remain in the stratosphere. They come with terminals that can either be in contact with ground stations or other balloons. The examples of balloon HAPS systems are Google Loon, Thales Stratobus, and World View Stratollite.
Applications of HAPS systems
HAPS systems can provide a wide range of applications, such as:
Connectivity
Different HAPS systems can offer Broadband Connectivity to unserved and underserved populations or to Populations that were affected by calamities/natural disasters or conflicts. They can also enhance base terrestrial and satellite networks and support new applications such as 5G, IoT, edge computing, etc. HAPS systems can photonic-cover hundreds of towers of ground-based equivalents and offer low latency and direct device connections.
Observation
HAPS systems can offer high definition as well as near real-time optical Imagery and video of the Earth. And other types of data such as Meteorological, Climatic and Environmental data. They also are able to observe and identify wide array of phenomenon like fire outbreaks, floods, landslides, forest cover reduction, human activities. Such as urbanization as well as unlawful processes. In fact, it is possible to have long-term and variable observation with HAPS systems. And a good opportunity for switching to zooming in/out and changing the observation perspective and rate.
Navigation
In addition to this, the systems can offer PNT solutions ranging from facilities on the ground, in the air or even on water. They can also complement and improve existing GNSSs including GPS; GLONSS; Galileo; and BeiDou. By integrating the systems with the PNT services. Tere is every possibility that those services will be more accurate and reliable than GNSS especially in areas of poor signal reception or jamming.
Surveillance
The HAPS systems can give security and defense solutions including surveillance and protection service like the border protection, maritime surveillance, anti-piracy, counter-terrorism, and disaster response. They can also perform ISR functions, target acquisition, target tracking, and target categorization. HAPS systems can provide covert and long-term monitoring, to transport information inflow/backflow in real-time.
Challenges and Opportunities of HAPS systems
HAPS systems are relative new solution which can offer several applications to places which are not accessible by terrestrial or satellite systems. Nevertheless, they also have several issues, which has to be solved to allow the applications and use of the mentioned technologies to expand. The power management which is a key facet involves the issues of providing enough. And reliable energy for the purposes of the platform in addition to the payload, payload design.
Which is the process of deciding on the size, weight and performance of the communication and observation apparatuses, and spectrum. Which is about where frequencies of the HAPS systems are to be sourced and secured in such a way that does not disrupt other systems. Some of the regulatory an operational challenge include; air traffic control this is where the flow and altitude of the is coordinated and managed.
Comparison of HAPS systems with Other Systems
HAPS systems are a relatively new type of airborne technology that have the capability to provide observation or communication services similar to artifical satellites. How and provided with less cost, less delay, higher resolution, more Operational capability, and less added environmental impact. But at the same time, they too have their pros and cons as a means to telecommunicate and observe terrestrials as compared to the terrestrial, satellite and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) systems.
One can compare and contrast HAPS systems with the other systems, based on certain parameters such as cost, performance, area covered, latency, resolution and environmental effect. You can read more about Quantum Generative Adversarial Networks: A New Frontier for Quantum Machine Learning For example, you can explain that HAPS systems are cheaper than satellite and LEO systems but more expensive. Than terrestrial systems, offer better performance compared to terrestrial and satellite. But lower than LEO systems; that have higher coverage compared to terrestrial/LEO but less coverage than satellite systems.
Future Trends and Developments of HAPS systems
HAPS systems of an infrastructure that can continuously build new and enhanced products and services to related zones and areas. you also can implement the possible further tendencies of the HAPS systems’ evolutions, additional technologies, applications in different fields, as well as collaborations. You can also consider to make an effective use of the opportunity. To indicate some positive and negative impacts of the HAPS systems for a society, economy, and surroundings.
For instance, it is possible to elaborate on the HAPS system opportunities to introduce new technologies. Such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain, to expand this system’s possibilities and capabilities. On this system possibilities to offer new applications for human life, including smart agriculture, telemedicine, and education. The potential collaboration of the system with other systems, including terrestrial, satellite, and LEO systems to create the integrated.
Conclusion
HAPS systems are a type of promising technology can provide observation or communication service like artificial satellites. But in lower cost, lower latency, higher resolution, higher flexible and lower environmental impact. HAPS systems can also be aircraft or balloons and therefore can soar or float in the stratosphere for quite some time. The systems can offer multiple applications like communication, monitoring, navigation. Or surveillance to places that are inaccessible to ground or space-based networks. These systems are at present under the concept and experimental stage but these are likely to produce drastic changes to telecommunication and remote sensing within the coming years.
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