Abstract: A High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) aircraft is disclosed for maintaining the span-wise shape of the wing and maintaining total bending and torsion loads. The aircraft including at least one aeroelastic span loaded fixed wing having an aspect ratio greater than 15 and wing loading less than 6 kg/m2, the wing having a plurality of spoilers distributed across the span of the wing and each spoiler being chordwise located adjacent the center of pressure of the wing. The HAPS aircraft further includes a control system for controlling the spoilers, and sensors which determine the amount of lift at points or regions along the wing span, the pitch and roll at points or regions along the wing span, the bending and torsional strain at points or regions along the wing span, or the absolute speed and roll and pitch angle of the wing.

Abstract: A measurement system comprising a plurality of High-Altitude Pseudo Satellites (HAPS), comprising fixed wing HAPS, having a span loaded fixed wing, an aspect ratio greater than 15 and wing loading less than 6 kg/m2, and/or lighter than air HAPS, each HAPS carrying a plurality of lightweight dropsondes, each dropsonde including sensors and a transmitter, where the plurality of high-altitude pseudo satellites located in a geographical array over at least part an area of the earth. The dropsondes are deployed from the HAPS at predetermined times, such that the deployed dropsondes gathering sensed data after deployment, and the sensed data transmitted to the HAPS.