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• Global Aerial Network Solutions LLC (GANS) is a privately-held corporation headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, whose premier ground- and/or sea-launched product is the Star Tower, a tethered aerostat system. Led by subject matter experts representing more than 300 years of combined experience in commercial and military management, defense, engineering, weapon system development, military operations and technology research and development, GANS develops and manufactures technology for employment from Near Space.

 

• Star Tower is designed to help commercial, state, and federal customers obtain satellite-like telecommunications and surveillance capabilities for a fraction of the cost of space-based systems. Star Tower is a patented, high-performance aerostat that offers unmatched operational capability. Its unique design enables operations in winds up to 70 knots, providing the highest mission availability for a broad range of applications.

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• From its vantage point thousands of feet above the earth’s surface, StarTower provides extended line-of-sight range and expansive area coverage of the earth’s surface and airspace for communications and sensor employment.

 

• Star Tower is a fully scalable system that can be sized to meet mission requirements and operating environments from sea to high-altitude mountainous terrain.

 

• Variants of the Star Tower ground system include a land-based, trailered system; a sea-based towed system; and a palletized system in multiple configurations for air transport. Star Tower employs multiple sensor payload systems positioned below the lifting gas envelope, facilitating swap-out of payloads when the mission changes. This payload system allows use of a wider range of payload sensors and instruments without having to modify the upper stage gas envelope. A heavy-fuel generator on the ground system provides system electrical power for the payload, winches, telemetry, lighting, and other subsystems. The envelope is extended and retracted by a high-speed winch. The aerostat tether delivers not only electrical power to the payload but also multiple fiber optic cables for high-data-rate downloads from sensors. The payload system also provides wireless down, cross, and uplinks as required by the mission.

 

• StarTower 200 and 500 models of various configurations are available for government and commercial sales.

 

Markets

• DoD, DHS, Intelligence Community for surveillance, communications (C3), security and navigation

• DHS, FEMA, Red Cross, etc. for disaster response and humanitarian relief

• EPA for environmental monitoring

• Telecommunications providers for bundled comm, data, cellular, HDTV

• Industry for hyperspectral imaging, security, vehicle and object tracking

• State and local governments for emergency response, resource management, agriculture news and public service

• Scientific communities for research

• International markets and developing countries for telecommunication

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