top of page
Graphic Design - Header Image.jpg

EINDHOVEN UNIVERSITY

TESTING AN INFLATABLE ANTENNA IN SPACE

High altitude platform testing for TU Eindhoven research

Reaching for Light Still_A1S8 (2).jpg
MISSION SUCCESS

PROVEN DEPLOYMENT AT 30KM

STUNNING IMAGERY

CAPTURED VIDEO AND SILLS

HEAPS OF DATA

COLLECTED TO AID RESEARCH


Graphic Design - CONCEPT ART & PROP DESIGN .jpg

Mission

Provide a high altitude platform for TU Eindhoven researchers to test a groundbreaking inflatable antenna deployment

Researchers at TU Eindhoven are developing an innovative inflatable antenna designed to study primordial signals originating from the earliest moments of the universe. The device is engineered to detect extraordinarily faint radio waves that have travelled for nearly 14 billion years since the Big Bang.

Before advancing the programme further, the team first needed to validate a critical milestone: proving that an inflatable antenna can reliably deploy in space conditions.

Graphic Design - CUSTOM LOGOS & BRAND ASSETS.jpg

Execution

TU Eindhoven approached us with a clear objective: to demonstrate that an inflatable radio telescope antenna could deploy reliably in space-like conditions.

Our versatile High Altitude Platform System (HAPS) provides a proven near-space test environment capable of integrating complex aerospace hardware, including deployable structures, sensors, telemetry systems and small satellite technologies. For this mission, the system was configured to trigger antenna deployment once the platform surpassed 20 kilometres, the widely recognised threshold of Near Space.

Lifted by a hydrogen-filled high altitude balloon, the HAPS spacecraft ascended to over 30 kilometres, providing extended dwell time well above the 20 kilometre boundary. This sustained near-space exposure enabled a successful autonomous deployment of the inflatable antenna, captured in breathtaking high-resolution footage.

Beyond the headline deployment success, the flight delivered hours of environmental and systems data across the ascent, float and descent phases. This rich dataset is now feeding directly into TU Eindhoven’s iterative development cycle, accelerating the antenna’s progression towards operational readiness.

bottom of page