High-Altitude Platform Station (HAPS), also referred to as "base stations in the sky," provide communication services from uncrewed aircraft that remain airborne in the stratosphere. They provide high-quality, high-volume, low-latency communications that are superior to satellite-based communications. To offer a means of communications in the aftermath of large-scale natural disasters, as well as provide communication services to under-connected areas, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) has been developing a solar-powered HAPS platform called “Sunglider.”
Among multiple development challenges, one is withstanding the harsh environment of the stratosphere, where ultra-violet ray and ozone exposure is far greater than at ground level, and temperatures sometimes drop to almost -100°C. To address the extreme conditions of the stratosphere, SoftBank, in collaboration with TOPPAN Holdings Inc., developed a lightweight, durable skin for use on solar-powered HAPS aircraft wings.
In this deep dive from the SoftBank Technology Blog, learn about how SoftBank and TOPPAN Holdings developed the skin materials, and how they will be applied to Sunglider.
(Posted on May 8, 2026)
by SoftBank News Editors
