Telespazio Ibérica and Space42’s Mira Aerospace have begun a wildfire-monitoring mission in Spain using the ApusNeo18 high-altitude platform system, with the first flight departing from the Canarias Stratoport for HAPS & UAS on Fuerteventura. The 29-hour sortie reached about 16,000 feet, setting two European HAPS records while transmitting live high-resolution video and imagery from electro-optical and infrared sensors.
The campaign is being carried out under the ISSEC project, promoted by the Fuerteventura Technology Park, and extends earlier ApusNeo18 testing for Telespazio Ibérica. The companies plan multiple flights through October, gradually increasing altitude and range as the mission progresses.
The operational concept is aimed at demonstrating the platform’s value for wildfire detection and management, with the next phase expected to push the aircraft towards the stratosphere and extend coverage towards Gran Canaria. Publicly available details so far focus on the first flight and the planned campaign in October, with fuller operational results still to come.