Pathfinder 1, backed by Google co-founder Sergey Brin, marks a bold step in airship innovation. On October 24, 2024, LTA Research announced the airship’s first untethered flight at NASA’s Moffett Field. This milestone rekindles interest in rigid airships, a technology that has remained dormant since the 1930s. Yair Ben-Dor has more.
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00:00Pathfinder 1, backed by Google co-founder Sergey Brin, marks a bold step in airship innovation.
00:07On October 24, 2024, LTA Research announced the airship's first untethered flight at NASA's Moffett Field.
00:16This milestone rekindles interest in rigid airships, a technology that has remained dormant since the 1930s.
00:23BBC reports rigid airships, once symbols of luxury travel, fell into obscurity after the Hindenburg disaster in 1937.
00:33Pathfinder 1 aims to modernize the concept with improved materials and safety features.
00:40LTA Research is taking a cautious, methodical approach.
00:44The goal is to refine airship design and explore its potential for mass production.
00:49According to TechChurch, LTA's airship uses stable helium rather than flammable hydrogen as a lifting gas,
00:58held in 13 giant ripstop nylon cells and monitored by LiDAR laser systems.
01:04A rigid framework of 10,000 carbon fiber reinforced tubes and 3,000 titanium hubs
01:11form a protective skeleton around the gas cells, surrounded by a lightweight synthetic Tedlar skin.
01:18Pathfinder 1's success could provide a crucial boost to the lighter-than-air industry, which has been long plagued by skepticism.
01:28For decades, investors hesitated waiting for a modern airship to take flight.
01:33Now, LTA Research has delivered, proving that airships may still have a future.
01:39With aviation seeking greener alternatives, airships could play a key role in sustainable transport.