Aerospace company Lighter Than Air (LTA) Research recently unveiled the Pathfinder 1, an electric airship larger than both Goodyear’s airships and the Hindenburg. TechCrunchreportedthat the prototype emerged from its hangar at NASA’s Moffett Field and is now visible from U.S. Route 101 in Silicon Valley.
The 124.5 meter-long airship features drone technology, including 12 electric motors that enable vertical takeoff and landing and speeds of up to 65 knots. However, LTA expects Pathfinder 1’s initial flights to be at slower speeds. The airship also incorporates lidar sensing and fly-by-wire controls.
LTA built the Pathfinder 1 with helium as its lifting gas in 13 rip-stop nylon cells. Additionally, the startup integrated 3,000 titanium hubs and 10,000 carbon fiber-reinforced tubes, all encased in a lightweight synthetic Tedlar skin to protect the gas cells.
In September, the FAA granted the Pathfinder 1 a special airworthiness certificate, which allows test flights at Moffett Field, a Palo Alto airport, and the southern portion of San Francisco Bay. The testing process will involve tethered tests near the ground, basic maneuvers at Moffett Field, and flights over the bay.
LTA hopes to eventually operate a group of airships for disaster relief and zero-carbon passenger transportation services.
Image Credit: LTA Research
