Technology Company Launches Airship Over New Mexico
2022-06-17
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1A technology company successfully test-launched one of its airships high above the New Mexico desert this week.
2The company, Sceye, hopes its airship will one day be able to improve internet connectivity and collect data on everything from industrial pollution to wildlife threats.
3The airship launched on Tuesday.
4The test was meant to see whether the ship could reach the Earth's stratosphere and stay there for a long period of time.
5The stratosphere is the upper layer of the Earth's atmosphere.
6It begins around 11 kilometers above the Earth's surface and ends about 50 kilometers above the Earth's surface.
7On Wednesday morning, Sceye announced the test was a success.
8The result means the company is closer to being able to reproduce and sell its airship technology.
9The head of Sceye is Danish businessman Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen.
10He started Sceye after the U.S. space agency, NASA, asked technology companies to think about ways to build an airship that could rise into the Earth's stratosphere and stay there for longer than eight hours.
11At the time of NASA's suggestion, no airship could remain in the stratosphere for longer than eight hours.
12The researchers at NASA and the Jet Propulsion Lab in California said a ship that could stay in the stratosphere for a long period of time could provide important data for scientists.
13Vestergaard Frandsen said he was pleased with the test.
14In a news release, he said the ship "holds extraordinary potential for stratospheric discovery."
15He said he believes the company's airships will be able to gather data on methane pollution, help get internet to parts of the world without it and look for wildfire threats.
16He said he hopes the company's airships will be available for purchase in the next 18 to 24 months.
17It takes the company about eight months to build each ship.
18Sceye's airship is made from special material that reflects the sun.
19It runs on solar panels and lithium-sulfur batteries.
20The ship is designed to carry heavy equipment.
21The airship is filled with helium gas and does not have a crew.
22The ships can also carry heavy equipment.
23Sceye is based in Roswell, New Mexico.
24One of the company's investors is New Mexico's Economic Development Department.
25Sceye is also working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and New Mexico's government to study air pollution and climate change.
26David Kim is Sceye's chief technology officer.
27He called the successful test a "milestone moment."
28I'm Dan Friedell.
1A technology company successfully test-launched one of its airships high above the New Mexico desert this week. The company, Sceye, hopes its airship will one day be able to improve internet connectivity and collect data on everything from industrial pollution to wildlife threats. 2The airship launched on Tuesday. The test was meant to see whether the ship could reach the Earth's stratosphere and stay there for a long period of time. The stratosphere is the upper layer of the Earth's atmosphere. It begins around 11 kilometers above the Earth's surface and ends about 50 kilometers above the Earth's surface. 3On Wednesday morning, Sceye announced the test was a success. The result means the company is closer to being able to reproduce and sell its airship technology. 4The head of Sceye is Danish businessman Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen. He started Sceye after the U.S. space agency, NASA, asked technology companies to think about ways to build an airship that could rise into the Earth's stratosphere and stay there for longer than eight hours. At the time of NASA's suggestion, no airship could remain in the stratosphere for longer than eight hours. 5The researchers at NASA and the Jet Propulsion Lab in California said a ship that could stay in the stratosphere for a long period of time could provide important data for scientists. 6Vestergaard Frandsen said he was pleased with the test. In a news release, he said the ship "holds extraordinary potential for stratospheric discovery." 7He said he believes the company's airships will be able to gather data on methane pollution, help get internet to parts of the world without it and look for wildfire threats. 8He said he hopes the company's airships will be available for purchase in the next 18 to 24 months. It takes the company about eight months to build each ship. 9Sceye's airship is made from special material that reflects the sun. It runs on solar panels and lithium-sulfur batteries. The ship is designed to carry heavy equipment. 10The airship is filled with helium gas and does not have a crew. The ships can also carry heavy equipment. 11Sceye is based in Roswell, New Mexico. One of the company's investors is New Mexico's Economic Development Department. Sceye is also working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and New Mexico's government to study air pollution and climate change. 12David Kim is Sceye's chief technology officer. He called the successful test a "milestone moment." 13I'm Dan Friedell. 14Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 15Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 16Words in This Story 17potential- adj. capable of becoming real 18reflect - v. usually related to light hitting a surface and bouncing off and moving in another direction 19solar panel - n. a large, flat, piece of equipment that uses the sun's light to create electricity