Mira Aerospace, the High Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) subsidiary of Space42, has completed Europe’s first HAPS flight conducted under civilian operational approval, marking a milestone for stratospheric aviation and environmental monitoring.
The flight was executed using Mira Aerospace’s ApusNeo18 platform on behalf of Telespazio Ibérica, part of the Leonardo Group. The mission demonstrated how HAPS can operate safely in civilian airspace while delivering real-time intelligence to support critical environmental and emergency-response operations, including wildfire monitoring.
Khaled Al Marzooqi, CEO of Mira Aerospace, Space42, said, “Mira Aerospace’s role in Europe’s first HAPS flight with a civilian operational approval, reflects international momentum behind Space42’s strategy to become the preferred partner for premium geospatial intelligence. In wildfire response, HAPS offer the agility, persistence, and precision to produce a comprehensive, real-time view of moving fire fronts. The flight for Telespazio Ibérica shows how our systems provide commercial value through AI-enabled data, to governments and first responders, while improving decision-making, accelerating critical emergency response times, and reducing operational costs.”
Carlos Fernández de la Peña, CEO of Telespazio Ibérica, added, “With the first flight, we have taken a major step that places the project on a new level. Not only have we secured these authorizations after a long and complex process, but we are also demonstrating our company’s technological capabilities in monitoring, controlling, and combating sixth-generation wildfires, which have proven extremely devastating in recent years.”
The mission forms part of the ISSEC programme, a joint initiative between Telespazio Ibérica and Pegasus Aero Group, aimed at strengthening Spain’s wildfire-response infrastructure. HAPS platforms combine satellite-like persistence with aircraft-level flexibility, offering lower operational costs while transmitting high-resolution electro-optical and infrared imagery in real time.
According to the companies, data gathered during the coming weeks will support the development of future stratospheric services and help assess the operational value of Mira Aerospace’s platforms for civil-protection missions.
The ApusNeo18 aircraft took off on Friday, December 12, 2025, from the spaceport at the Fuerteventura Technology Park, Europe’s first facility of its kind. Featuring an 18-metre wingspan, a 12-metre length, and weighing just over 45 kilograms, the aircraft initially climbed to 2,000 feet. In subsequent flights, it will operate over Gran Canaria to support wildfire prevention and management activities.
Flight operations will proceed in segmented stages, enabling progressive validation of each mission phase. Planned flights will gradually increase altitude to 16,000 feet and extend duration, with future missions expected to last up to 48 hours.
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