Sceye Receives Investment from SoftBank Corp. to Scale Stratospheric Platform Development and Launch Pre-Commercial HAPS Services in Japan in 2026

Rhea-AI Summary

SoftBank Corp. (SOBKY) has made a strategic investment in Sceye, a U.S. aerospace company specializing in High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS), as part of Sceye's Series C funding round. Additionally, SoftBank has committed to purchasing a HAPS pre-commercial flight in Japan for 2026.

The partnership aims to launch pre-commercial HAPS services in Japan by 2026, focusing on disaster recovery communications and connectivity in hard-to-reach areas. This follows Sceye's successful 2024 milestone of completing the first full diurnal stratospheric flight maintaining position for over 24 hours.

The collaboration will enhance SoftBank's network infrastructure for the upcoming 6G era, complementing existing terrestrial towers and satellite constellations with HAPS technology that offers faster speeds, greater capacity, and lower latency compared to satellite communications.

Positive

• Strategic investment from major telecom leader SoftBank validates Sceye's technology
• Planned commercial launch in Japan by 2026 opens new market opportunities
• Successfully demonstrated first-ever 24-hour diurnal stratospheric flight
• Technology offers superior performance compared to satellite communications
• Addresses growing 6G infrastructure needs and disaster recovery communications

Negative

• Pre-commercial status indicates revenue generation still years away
• Exact investment amount not disclosed
• Faces competition in the emerging HAPS market
• Implementation and regulatory challenges in new market entry

Strategic backing from global telecom leader advances Sceye's technical maturity
and market readiness

MORIARTY, N.M., June 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sceye, a U.S. aerospace company specializing in High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) for connectivity and environmental monitoring from the stratosphere, today announced it received a strategic investment from SoftBank Corp., (TOKYO:9434, "SoftBank") a leading operator of telecommunications and IT businesses in Japan and globally. The investment was made as part of the first tranche of Sceye's Series C funding round. In addition to the strategic investment, SoftBank is also purchasing a HAPS pre-commercial Japan flight in 2026.

The partnership strengthens SoftBank's longstanding advocacy for the HAPS industry as a transformative infrastructure to enhance connectivity and address global challenges. While conventional mobile networks have focused on 2D coverage for smartphones and vehicles, the upcoming 6G era will demand telecommunications infrastructure with 3D architecture to support increasing connectivity for drones and UAVs in the sky. Building on its history in Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) solutions, SoftBank is investing in Sceye's HAPS-based stratospheric telecommunications as a highly scalable solution to complement their existing terrestrial towers and satellite constellations.

As part of the strategic collaboration, SoftBank plans to begin providing pre-commercial HAPS services in Japan in 2026. These services are expected to support communication recovery during disruptions due to large-scale disasters, such as major earthquakes, and deliver connectivity to hard-to-reach areas, including mountainous regions and remote islands. Leveraging the advantages of HAPS – faster speeds, greater capacity, lower latency, and more flexible deployment capabilities compared to satellite-based communications – SoftBank, in collaboration with Sceye, will strengthen its network resilience and promote universal service nationwide.

"SoftBank brings a wealth of experience in non-terrestrial connectivity and has long championed the stratosphere as the next frontier for solving some of the world's most pressing challenges," said Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, CEO and Founder of Sceye. "Their investment affirms the viability of Sceye's platform. We're proud to welcome them as a strategic partner as we accelerate toward commercial service."

This investment follows Sceye's successful 2024 flight program, where it became the first to complete a full diurnal flight in the stratosphere while staying over an area of operation for over 24-hours. This key proof point confirms the viability of geostationary platforms below orbital altitude and was a decisive factor in the partnership.

Junichi Miyakawa, President and CEO of SoftBank Corp., commented: "As a global pioneer, SoftBank has been developing HAPS-based services since 2017. In addition to our research and development for HTA-type HAPS, I'm extremely pleased we'll be launching LTA-type HAPS pre-commercial services in 2026 through our new partnership with Sceye. The stratospheric-based, wide area telecommunications of HAPS will play a key role in expanding network area coverage to areas that are difficult to reach with existing mobile network infrastructure, and it will also provide a means of restoring communications when large-scale disasters strike."

SoftBank joins Sceye's notable group of international investors from the telecom industry, further validating the company's unique technical capabilities. The new capital will be used to support Sceye's continued development and entry into commercial operations.

About Sceye:
Founded in 2014, Sceye is an aerospace company leading the industry of High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) to connect people and protect the planet. With more than 20 successful flights and partnerships with federal, state and commercial partners, Sceye is opening a new infrastructure layer between terrestrial and space systems. Its platforms expand connectivity, detect and manage climate disasters in real-time, and provide precise environmental monitoring to help humanity and our planet.

About SoftBank Corp.:
Guided by the SoftBank Group's corporate philosophy, "Information Revolution – Happiness for everyone," SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) operates telecommunications and IT businesses in Japan and globally. Building on its strong business foundation, SoftBank Corp. is expanding into non-telecom fields in line with its "Beyond Carrier" growth strategy while further growing its telecom business by harnessing the power of 5G/6G, IoT, Digital Twin and Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) solutions, including High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS)-based stratospheric telecommunications. While constructing AI data centers and developing homegrown LLMs specialized for the Japanese language with 1 trillion parameters, SoftBank is integrating AI with radio access networks (AI-RAN) with the aim of becoming a provider of next-generation social infrastructure. To learn more, please visit https://www.softbank.jp/en/.

Media contact:
Jasmine Wallsmith
jw@sceye.com

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SOURCE Sceye

FAQ

What is the strategic investment between SoftBank and Sceye in 2025?

SoftBank Corp. (SOBKY) made a strategic investment in Sceye as part of their Series C funding round and committed to purchasing a HAPS pre-commercial flight in Japan for 2026.

When will SoftBank launch HAPS services in Japan?

SoftBank plans to begin providing pre-commercial HAPS services in Japan in 2026, focusing on disaster recovery communications and connectivity in hard-to-reach areas.

What milestone did Sceye achieve in 2024?

Sceye became the first company to complete a full diurnal flight in the stratosphere, maintaining position over an area of operation for more than 24 hours.

How will HAPS technology benefit SoftBank's network infrastructure?

HAPS technology will provide faster speeds, greater capacity, and lower latency compared to satellite communications, while supporting 6G infrastructure needs and improving network resilience.

What are the main applications of Sceye's HAPS technology for SoftBank?

The technology will primarily support communication recovery during disasters and deliver connectivity to hard-to-reach areas like mountainous regions and remote islands.