The stratosphere appears to be the next frontier for the satellite industry as the military, government and commercial sectors look to reduce their dependence on expensive space-based assets for communications, surveillance and positioning, navigation and timing. According to a panel of experts at a March 16 satellite conference in Washington, stratosphere-orbiting spacecraft like high-flying drones, balloons and cube satellites look like promising alternatives to large and expensive satellites, but there are still many technological and regulatory challenges to overcome. The...
