Although many eyes are on space as the orbit grows into a thriving business ecosystem, Radical is keeping things a little closer to the ground – but not too much. Its solar-powered, high-altitude planes aim to succeed where Facebook’s infamous Aquila failed by perfecting the technology and capturing more markets.
It’s hard to believe that Facebook’s ambitious plan to use solar-powered planes to provide internet access in remote locations began a decade ago. But even though those dreams were shattered when the project was abandoned, the concept remained intact.
Ultralight planes in the stratosphere can, in theory, stay aloft almost indefinitely by powering their propellers via solar panels. Load it with sensors, telecommunications equipment or anything else and you have a versatile, mobile asset that is unhindered by orbital mechanics or chaotic weather conditions.
Radical CEO James Thomas suggested the technology simply wasn’t ready before.
“There’s been interest in these high-end planes for a long time,” he told TechCrunch in an interview. “It’s not a new idea, but over the last few years many supporting technologies have really matured: batteries, solar, even advanced computing. Look where we are right now with battery technology: we’re almost at 2x (of Aquila’s). This puts us in a really strong position.
The Seattle-based startup has raised a $4.5 million round of funding to move from a small-scale demonstration aircraft, which it recently successfully flew for 24 hours straight, to a large-scale aircraft ladder. This full-sized craft would have a wingspan of about 100 feet, but would weigh “as much as a person,” which I thought meant between 100 and 200 pounds.
The founders of Radical hold the small-scale demonstration aircraft.
Getting the plane into the stratosphere at scale is Radical’s main goal, but that hasn’t stopped them from researching possible use cases.
“We view what we are developing as a platform for persistent airborne infrastructure,” he said, but for use cases where an orbital asset is not practical. For example, orbital imaging of a wildfire-prone area might arrive once an hour, which is far too slow for rapid response. But a high-altitude aircraft could provide live surveillance 24/7 for weeks at a time, or even change positions to track new threats.
For telecommunications, although Starlink is quickly establishing itself as the go-to solution for connectivity in remote areas, it has significant limitations, such as the need for precision ground infrastructure. There are many cases where a flying 5G station is a better choice (although you still need to work on the hookup).
Radical was one of my picks from Y Combinator’s early 2023 batch, and I wrote at the time:
I always thought the idea was compelling, but I hadn’t yet found its business model. Connectivity everywhere can be a huge new differentiator for mobile networks, and I bet satellites will be useful but expensive and cluttered. Why not a giant glider? It’s equally weird, but I appreciate the ambition.
Apparently I was right!
A nice benefit of working in the stratosphere, Thomas pointed out, is that the regulatory burden is significantly reduced. Over closely monitored urban and commercial airspace, it is much simpler to operate and quicker to obtain approvals.
Radical isn’t the only company looking at this question; the AALTO project at Airbus aims to fill a similar gap in telecommunications coverage, and the much larger Skydweller platform (600 kilograms of batteries alone) seeks to play a surveillance and intelligence role with a partnership with Palantir.
Thomas said their advantage comes from a close relationship with the companies they work with, who “really want to own the system.” So it’s not a one-size-fits-all platform, but neither is it purely bespoke: it depends on the customer (although he calls them customers, they’re not yet the paying type; the company is in pre-revenue).
For now, the goal is to fly within the next 12 months, prove the full-size craft can fly, and put it in a position to, presumably, start accepting money.
The seed round was led by Scout Ventures, with additional funding coming from investors including Inflection Mercury Fund and Y Combinator.
techcrunch
