The recent achievement of “Space 42,” which has successfully executed the first licensed high-altitude platform flight in Europe, marks a significant milestone in aerospace innovation. The pioneering mission, conducted by “Mira Aerospace,” exemplifies the growing advancements in high-altitude platform systems (HAPS), showcasing the capabilities of cutting-edge technology supported by artificial intelligence to address pressing needs in environmental monitoring and disaster response.
Madrid – “Mira Aerospace,” a company specializing in the development of high-altitude platforms (HAPS) and a subsidiary of “Space 42,” the leading UAE company in space technology supported by artificial intelligence, announced the launch of the first high-altitude platform flight in Europe after obtaining civil operational approval. The flight was carried out using the “ApusNeo18” model from Mira Aerospace’s high-altitude platforms on behalf of “Telepathio Iberica,” part of the Leonardo Group, confirming these platforms’ ability to operate safely and provide real-time information for vital environmental monitoring operations.
Khaled Al-Marzouqi, CEO of Mira Aerospace, part of Space 42, stated: “With this step, we at Mira Aerospace support Space 42’s strategy to become the preferred partner in the field of high-quality geospatial data. In the face of wildfires, high-altitude platforms provide the necessary speed of response, continuity, and accuracy to create a comprehensive and immediate picture of fire front movements. The flight on behalf of Telepathio Iberica demonstrates the commercial value our systems offer to government entities and first response teams through AI-supported data, which enhances decision-making, accelerates emergency response times, and reduces operational costs.”
For his part, Carlos Fernández de la Peña, CEO of Telepathio Iberica, said: “We have achieved a qualitative leap that has elevated the project to a new level with the launch of the first flight. Not only did we obtain these approvals, but we also demonstrated our company’s technical capabilities in monitoring, controlling, and combating sixth-generation fires, which have shown the extent of the destruction they can cause in recent years.”
Fire Response Mission
This mission is part of the “ISSEC” program, a joint project between Telepathio Iberica and Pegasus Aero Group, focusing on developing fire response infrastructure in Spain. High-altitude platforms provide continuity similar to that of satellites, with the flexibility of aircraft, all at a lower operational cost. These platforms are also an ideal tool for managing emergencies, monitoring the environment, and protecting national infrastructure, thanks to their ability to transmit high-resolution optical and thermal images in real-time.
The data collected over the coming weeks will form the basis for developing future stratospheric services and will help determine the operational value of Mira Aerospace’s platforms in civil protection missions.
Flight Operations
The “ApusNeo18” aircraft launched on Friday, December 12, 2025, from the spaceport at the “Fuerteventura” technology complex, the first facility of its kind in Europe. The aircraft features wings that extend 18 meters, a length of 12 meters, and a weight of just over 45 kilograms, ascending to an altitude of 2,000 feet after takeoff. In the coming days, the aircraft will fly over “Gran Canaria” to monitor the area and collect and manage data to support wildfire prevention efforts.
In the first phase, operations will be carried out in segmented flight stages, allowing for the gradual verification of all mission elements, with plans to later ascend to altitudes of up to 16,000 feet, extending flight durations to 48 hours of continuous flying.