The SAS-51 is the first commercially available airship from Sanswire and TAO.

The SAS-51 is a Solar Powered Low Altitude surveillance airship with the capability of running surveillance missions controlled via a ground based remote control station or the onboard automated flight control system. This enables the SAS-51 to execute pre-programmed reconnaissance missions and return home through various weather conditions.  The onboard flight controls use integrated sensor technology to conduct real-time weather recordings and adjust the flight plan accordingly to maintain its coordinates using GPS.  The solar powered SAS-51 is designed to execute a variety of mission profiles with the ability to operate for up to 14 hours for daytime missions, at an altitude of up to 3000 ft, with a 25lb payload.

2007-12-18
On December 13th 2007, the Sanswire SAS-51 performed additional flight tests including performing extreme flight maneuvers while achieving an altitude of 800 meters.

For video of the flight and of its internal components during the flight as well as additional information please visit the Flight Details page.

*Update* 2007-12-21 Video footage from the SAS-51's Integrated Surveillance Payload taken during the December 13, 2007 flight.