Beam

A startup called Sceye is building a helium-powered vehicle that can hover in the stratosphere, high enough to rival the capabilities of some satellites in low Earth orbit. Because Sceye’s LTA can stay in the same place for an extended period, the company wants to use it to beam broadband directly down to smart-phones in less-connected regions. Sceye says its systems could be used to track greenhouse-gas emissions and monitor natural disasters; the company is also working with New Mexico and the Environmental Protection Agency to monitor air quality.