Elon Musk jumps from one problem to another in recent months. The CEO of SpaceX and Tesla has a new competitor for his Starlink satellite constellation, tests have begun in Spain.
The Canary Islands have been the scene of one of the greatest milestones in European aviation. The Fuerteventura Technology Park is testing the flight of a high-altitude unmanned aerial platform known as HAPS (High Altitude Platform System).
Testing began in December 2025. The HAPS system It can glide at 20 km altitude in a controlled manner for months. Now it is even successfully integrated into commercial air traffic.
New competitors for Starlink
The first flight tests are positive. If the HAPS system manages to stay at 20 km altitude for years, it could replace the Starlink satellite constellation in low Earth orbit.
This unmanned aerial platform is more similar to a large drone than a small plane, but it can fly kilometers of altitude with minimal consumption. HAPS has the potential to replace low orbit satellites in the short term.
The Fuerteventura Technology Park has confirmed that the project is more than viable. These huge drones interfere with civilian air traffic, but early tests have shown that they can be successfully coordinated with aerial radars and control systems.
The project called ISSEC coordinated by companies such as Telespazio Ibérica and Pegasus Aero Group used the Apus Neo 18 aircraft from MIRA Aerospace. ENAIRE air traffic controllers supervised the flight at all times until reaching the stratosphere.
The era of long-range stratospheric flights
Low orbit has been filled with space junk, but long-range stratospheric flights could be the solution. These tools can fulfill a similar function to Starlink and company satellites, offering internet even in remote areas.
Apus Neo 18 could offer connection to critical services with real-time data transmission in emergencies such as floods or forest fires that break the operators’ infrastructure.
The costs of this HAPS system are also extremely low, all advantages over Elon Musk’s satellite network. By operating at a lower altitude, They can cover large areas with lower operating costs.
Spain is a pioneer with Apus Neo 18, but it joins a long list of countries that are betting on this technology. The EuroHAPS project funded by the European Commission with 43 million euros has 21 partners from 11 countries including Italy, France and Germany.