AALTO

AALTO commercialises Zephyr, a solar-powered high-altitude platform station (HAPS) that flies in the stratosphere and is marketed as a new aerospace domain it calls Stratospace. The company describes Zephyr as a lightweight Stratocraft with an integrated payload, used for direct-to-device connectivity and Earth observation.

Its stated customers are commercial and government partners. Commercial and civil missions are offered as a fully autonomous service delivered from the platform, while military and defence missions use a stratospheric handover where customer pilots fly the mission. The site does not describe pricing or revenue model beyond these service offerings.

AALTO was founded in 2022 as a spin-out from Airbus' Zephyr programme, and its website lists Farnborough (UK) as the production base and AALTOPORT Kenya in Laikipia County as its operational launch and landing site. Shareholders include Airbus and a Japanese consortium led by NTT DOCOMO and Space Compass that joined in 2024. Open roles are listed in Farnborough, and the careers page names the UK and Kenya.

Product: Zephyr high-altitude platform station used for stratospheric connectivity and Earth observation services, plus military ISR and C4I missions.