Tethered aerostats
A tethered aerostat is an unpowered balloon attached to the ground by a cable. Unlike an airship it does not fly from place to place; it rises to a working altitude — from a hundred metres to several kilometres — and stays there for days or weeks.
The system has four main parts: the aerodynamically shaped envelope, the tether (which often carries power and data), the ground winch and mooring station, and the payload, such as cameras, radio relays or weather sensors.
Aerostats are valued for one simple reason: height is coverage. A camera or antenna lifted to 300 metres can see or serve an area many times larger than one on a mast. The articles below cover different classes of systems and the engineering behind them.
In this section
Tethered aerostats for monitoring
How tethered aerostats are used for civil monitoring — wildfire detection, coastal watch, traffic and events — and what limits their use.
Envelope materials and the helium vs hydrogen question
What modern aerostat and airship envelopes are made of, how they hold gas, and why helium is used instead of hydrogen.
Aerostat telecom relays: connecting remote settlements
How aerostat-based telecom relays extend mobile and internet coverage to remote settlements, and why connectivity matters for rural housing and property value.
Aerial surveys from aerostats: a stable eye over land and property
How medium aerostat systems can be used as stable platforms for aerial photography and mapping, and how such surveys support land plot boundaries and cadastral records.
Small vehicle-mounted aerostats: watching a construction site from above
How small tethered aerostats deployed from a vehicle can monitor large construction sites and housing developments, track progress and improve safety.