Stratellite

Strateditor (talk) 22:19, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

Stratellite is a brand name (Stratellite is a trademark of Sanswire Network, LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of GlobeTel Communications Corp.) for a future emissions-free, high-altitude stratospheric airship that provides a stationary communications platform for various types of wireless signals usually carried by communications towers or satellites. The Stratellite is a concept that has undergone several years of research and development, and is not yet commercially available; Sanswire, with its partner TAO Technologies, anticipates its current testing sequence to include the launch of a Stratellite into the stratosphere.

Details

High-altitude airships, like the Stratellite, would hover lower than an orbiting satellite, but far above the jet stream and most weather, in the stratosphere approximately 13 mi (20 km) above the Earth. A single unit could then send broadband, mobile phone and digital television and radio signals to a large area.

In comparison, lag times would be reduced by a factor of nearly 2000 for geostationary satellites, and 15 for low orbiting satellites but with a smaller coverage area. When compared to terrestrial communications towers, Stratellite coverage would be larger, with lag times being more a function of internal communications equipment rather than distance.^{[citation needed]}

Estimated broadband coverage of 300,000 mi² (777,000 km²), roughly the size of Texas or France, is planned. Wireless signals could be transmitted to and from a 200 mi (320 km) diameter, but terrain features and man-made structures could partially or locally interfere with the signal. ^{[citation needed]} ^{[dubious – discuss]}

Since the Stratellite is designed for regular returns to the surface for maintenance (see below), some overlap and redundancy would be required to maintain continuous service. Sanswire Networks initially plans to deploy this technology over major metropolitan areas.^{[citation needed]}

Proponents claim a high-altitude communications platform, like the Stratellite, could make terrestrial broadcast towers obsolete, reducing the cost and time required for hardware updates. An update made to a single unit would effectively cascade to an entire grid of virtual broadcast towers. It will be possible to bring broadband service to a wide area currently without terrestrial towers quickly and with relative ease. ^{[citation needed]}

The unmanned Stratellite would be powered by solar cells and propelled by electric motors. When complete, it will resemble a 245 ft (75 m) blue whale, only twice as long and roughly eight times the volume.^{[citation needed]}

Certain "engineers" that had originally claimed ownership of the concept currently doubt Sanswire's ability to maintain duration aloft as stated, due to their positions having been terminated by Sanswire. One such engineer designed the airship depicted in the photo, built at the former Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino, California. It was never flown. The vehicle was eventually scrapped in total and the project relocated to Palmdale Airport in the California Antelope Valley. A third variant of the design was also built, but never flown as well. According to corporate press releases, the Stratellite and related assets were shipped to TAO Technologies in Stuttgart, Germany for further evaluation and design revision. Sanswire then formed a new German corporation known as Sanswire-TAO GmbH.

Specifications

Length: 245 ft (75 m)
Width: 145 ft (44 m)
Height: 87 ft (26.5 m)
Volume: 1.3 million ft³ (37,000 m³)
Dual envelopes, made of Dyneema (sometimes called Spectra)
Propulsion: electric motors powered by photovoltaic solar units covering outer envelope manufactured by Iowa Thin Film
Navigation: 6 onboard GPS units connected to the ship's engines
Payload capacity: 3,000 lb (1,400 kg)
Maximum altitude: 70,000 ft (21,000 m)
Cruising altitude: 65,000 ft (20,000 m)
Lifting gas: Helium and Nitrogen
Line-of-sight: 300,000 mile² (777,000 km²)
Maximum duration aloft: 18 months

Company details

This section deals with the parent company which is not directly related to the definition of Stratellite

The word Stratellite is a trademark of Sanswire Network, LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of GlobeTel Communications Corp. The company held a summit in January 2005 to discuss commercial, international and military opportunities. On April 12th, 2005, Sanswire 1 was shown to the public. The company announced on October 19th, 2006 that its Sanswire 2A technology demonstrator completed its first outdoor, low altitude, float test. No further aerial tests took place that year, and in 2007, the technology demonstrator was disassembled and shipped to its development partner in Stuttgart, Germany.

The company currently developing the Stratellite is Sanswire Networks LLC. Certain investors have claimed to have allegedly lost large sums of money investing in the Stratellite to date. It has been alleged by certain parties that have been terminated by the Stratellite's owner and whom have participated in short selling the securities of the Stratellite's owner, that the company and its products are not going to succeed. These allegations come in the wake of a class action lawsuit filed against the parent company stemming from a previous agreement the company had entered into with a firm based in Russia named Internafta. [1][2][3] It is important to note certain of these allegations originate from individual investors, therefore, actual losses are difficult to verify.

Strateditor (talk) 22:25, 15 February 2008 (UTC)The company currently trades on the Pink Sheets under the symbol GTEM.[4] Stocks trading on the Pink Sheets (recognizable with a .PK suffix) are generally misunderstood to be free of regulatory or listing requirements, at least compared to major markets, however, a number of companies that trade on the Pink Sheets are reporting companies, i.e. companies that report their earnings and other material information to the Securities & Exchange Commission.[http://www.sec.gov/answers/pink.htm

On October 12th, 2006 Timothy Huff stepped down from his position of CEO and also resigned from the Board of Directors.[5] J. Randolph Dumas stepped down as Chairman of the Board. Independent directors Dorian Klein and Ambassador Ferdinando Salleo also agreed resigned.[6] Przemyslaw L. Kostro, former Chairman of GlobeTel Communications, returned to that position, and then named Peter Khoury interim Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Timothy Huff who stayed on until October 12, 2006 in a technical capacity.[7] On November 2nd, 2006, the Company filed a Form 8-K announcing the termination of Lawrence Lynch as Chief Financial Officer.[8]

Sanswire is not the first company to propose such a craft. Similar proposals have been made by Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) in Bedford, England, SkyLINK, Inc, in England, and SkyTower Inc., a subsidiary of AeroVironment Inc. in Monrovia, California, in the United States.

Strateditor (talk) 22:25, 15 February 2008 (UTC)Note: To date there are no known published reports of a successful flight of a sizeable airship launched from the ground, making a controlled ascent into the Stratosphere, combined with a controlled return and recovery powered by onboard guidance and propulsion systems. To date, the Stratellite develop process, not unlike other engineering projects that are striving to achieve proof of concept, has undergone a series of variants: The first version was built in 2004-5 to nearly 75%, the second was a modified (lengthened) version of the first was built in 2005 but was not flown from the hangar at the former Norton AFB in San Bernardino, California. It was dismantled and most of the aluminum airframe, deemed un-usable to achieve aforementioned stated goal of controlled ascent to, and descent from, the stratosphere, was sold for scrap. In 2006, with a new President of Sanswire, the third version of the Stratellite was built as a technology demonstrator, a prototype composite semi-rigid airship. In an Associated Press news article, the chief project engineer stated that the prototype would be able to attain altitudes of up to 30,000 feet.

Strateditor (talk) 22:25, 15 February 2008 (UTC)On October 5, 2007, GlobeTel Communications Corp., received a "Wells Notice" from the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") in connection with the SEC’s ongoing investigation of the Company. The Wells Notice provides notification that the staff of the SEC intends to recommend to the Commission that it bring a civil action against the Company for possible violations of the securities laws including violations of Sections 5 and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933; Sections 10(b), 13(a), and 13(b)(2)(A) & (B) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”) and Rules 10b-5, 12b-20, 13a-1, 13a-11, and 13a-13 thereunder; and seeking as relief a permanent injunction, civil penalties, and disgorgement with prejudgment interest. Language included in the Wells Notice indicated that its staff could consider recommending that the SEC authorize and institute proceedings to revoke the registration of Company’s securities pursuant to Section 12(j) of the Exchange Act.

External links

Details

Specifications

Company details

See also

External links