July digest: the New Generation Airships project
July was exceptionally busy. The project team made significant progress on the envelope and metal structures for NOVA-2, took part in the launch of a stratospheric vehicle, and showcased the NOVA-01 airship for the first time at a major aviation exhibition.
Here are the details of each achievement.
In-house envelope production
The envelope for NOVA-2 is nearly complete: about 98% of the components have already been welded at our own facility; only the final seams remain.
Metal structure manufacturing
Production of the tail assembly components for the NOVA-2 airship is ongoing. To date, the first parts of the tail assembly’s main section have been manufactured. Each central stabilizer segment consists of three structural sections, which will then be integrated into a single load-bearing framework. These components form the primary load-carrying part of the stabilizers and represent an important stage in assembling the airship’s tail unit.
Stratospheric vehicle launch
AERONOVA, together with partners, conducted a demonstration launch of a stratospheric balloon equipped with a guided glider to return the payload to a designated area. The activity is part of our work on stratospheric launches, short-duration high-altitude flights, monitoring, meteorological data collection, and the development and validation of equipment delivery and recovery technologies.
Electronics testing in a vacuum chamber
After the first cycle of vacuum-chamber tests, our specialists identified heat dissipation characteristics: at high altitudes, rarefied air cools components less effectively.
In the second testing cycle, the enclosure was replaced to improve thermal management.
The tests simulated various flight altitudes, with engineers monitoring temperature rise and system stability. The resulting data will inform further optimization of the equipment for operation at altitudes of up to 20–25 kilometers and will help increase the reliability of future stratospheric platforms already at the ground-testing stage.
VIVA AVIA! festival
AERONOVA took part in the 15th anniversary VIVA AVIA! festival, held on August 1–2 in Novosibirsk. The venue welcomed over 40,000 visitors from across Russia. Airships were involved in this event for the first time, and NOVA-01 led the lighter-than-air segment.
The team continues to work toward delivering the project’s plans. Follow our updates so you don’t miss anything.
Learn more about the "New Generation Airships" project.
*The translation is done with the help of artificial intelligence.