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June 18th, 2024
Kea Aerospace has successfully completed a landmark BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) flight, demonstrating the capabilities of our advanced autonomous flight technology. The milestone UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) flight, conducted within Kea Aerospace’s Special Use Airspace, marks significant growth in the field of UAV’s in New Zealand. The mission commenced with Kea Aerospace’s R6 unmanned aircraft launching from […]
April 4th, 2024
Christchurch-based aerospace venture Kea Aerospace has successfully secured New Zealand government support to collaborate with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Founded in 2018, Kea Aerospace is partnering with NASA Research Centres to advance high-altitude airborne earth observation techniques. The project will focus on using Kea’s solar-powered stratospheric plane to monitor coastal water quality, […]
February 2nd, 2024
Meet some of the Kea Aerospace flight test team on a day when they’re testing the auto pilot’s ‘return to home’ functionality as part of fully autonomous flight operations.
November 29th, 2023
The chronicles of human flight have always been interwoven with our aspiration to explore the skies. From the myth of Icarus to the modern airline traveller, there has been an innate human desire to fly faster, further, and higher. One of the most captivating aspects of this journey is high-altitude flight. Its history is as […]
August 23rd, 2023
The advent of Earth observation has revolutionised our understanding of the planet and its dynamic processes. With steady advancements in technology, we now have a vast array of tools, from satellites to balloons, to near-surface drones and high-altitude platforms. These eyes in the sky provide massive amounts of data every minute of every day. This […]
July 17th, 2023
On July 7th, 2023, it was a frosty morning to set up for a special flight test at the Tāwhaki Aerospace Research Centre at Kaitorete, 50 minutes out of Christchurch. This was not just any flight test but the culmination of months of research and development that required meticulous planning. It was Kea Aerospace’s first […]
May 15th, 2023
The age of aviation began in the early 20th Century, building the foundation for the exploration of the skies. The journey started with flights only several feet into the atmosphere, and steadily, over decades, we have taken incremental steps to reach its upper reaches, with a few specialist and experimental aircraft now operating at the […]
April 27th, 2023
The Kea Atmos has completed four successful test flights from March through April this year. We are on course for a stratospheric flight attempt later this year. The Audi electric launch vehicle has attracted some attention throughout the aviation and electric world. Here are a few media mentions: Aviation Week UASweekly.com Interesting Engineering Electrek Find […]
April 11th, 2023
Kea Aerospace used an electric Audi launch vehicle for the “Kea Atmos Mk1” aircraft. After reaching takeoff speed, the solar-powered aircraft is released for flight testing. A huge thank you to Archibalds Audi for using their smooth and stunning “Audi e-tron Sportback S line”.
March 9th, 2023
New Zealand’s first solar-powered stratospheric aircraft has been built and flight testing has commenced. This aircraft will be a game-changer for collecting high-resolution aerial data for applications such as extreme weather events, environmental monitoring and precision agriculture. The “Kea Atmos Mk 1” will be used for stratospheric flight testing. It has a wingspan of 12.5 […]
