B2Space, a European leader in high altitude operations, has successfully demonstrated its stratospheric capabilities at our ATLAS Alpha flight centre, deploying its comprehensive Aereal Imager solution, designed for emergency and territory management, with advanced capabilities for prevention, real-time monitoring and impact mitigation.

This demonstration was carried out with a 26-metre high ‘zero pressure’ balloon and a three-metre diameter microHAB, ascending to a height of more than 26 km for more than four hours. On board, this microHAB platform was equipped with cameras and sensors developed specifically for capturing high-resolution aerial imagery. These images are key for critical tasks such as forest monitoring, agricultural planning or damage assessment after natural disasters.

The event was attended by various local and regional authorities, including the Andalusian Regional Minister of Universities and Innovation, José Carlos Gómez Villamandos; the delegate of the Andalusian Government in Jaén, Jesús Manuel Estrella Martínez, the delegate of Education in Jaén, Francisco José Solano, and the delegate of Economy and Finance in Jaén, Javier Calvente; the delegate of Education in Jaén, Francisco José Solano and the delegate of Economy and Finance in Jaén, Javier Calvente; the mayor of Villacarrillo, Francisco Miralles; the general director of TRADE of the Junta de Andalucía, Antonio Castro, the Technical Advisor of the General Directorate for the Promotion of Innovation, Manuel Ortigosa, and the deputy of Employment and Enterprise, Luis Miguel Carmona.

These balloons, which fly at an altitude of between 20 and 40 km, with payloads of up to 3500kg, enable ground observation and communications with key applications in a multitude of sectors such as emergencies, fire detection, cartography, agriculture and defence, among others.

Victor Montero, co-CEO and COO of B2Space, highlighted the capabilities and applications enabled by these HABs technologies and thanked all those present for their attendance. ‘We are grateful for the presence of both authorities and technical services of emergency, agriculture and environment because this shows the interest and potential of our HABs solutions in the region’.

For his part, our Director of Avionics and Systems, Antidio Viguria, highlighted that ‘ATLAS is a leading test centre for UAVs, autonomous vehicles and this type of HABs platforms in Spain, and we are very proud of this collaboration with B2Space, which allows us to extend the possibilities of the centre, as well as to deploy and test high-altitude technologies and to promote both aeronautical and space technologies’.

This activity is part of the collaboration agreement signed by B2Space and CATEC for the promotion of space industry activity through the validation of test flights and equipment in near-space conditions and destined for orbit.