Sanswire-TAO Corp., the airship development and manufacturing joint venture equally owned by Sanswire Corp. (Pink Sheets: SNSR) and TAO Technologies GmbH, has received the initial envelope structure of the segmented STS-111 airship to be used in the construction and testing of the company’s first commercial production mid-altitude, mid-endurance airship.

The lightweight initial envelope structure is 111-ft. in length, 11-ft in height, and based on the patented multi-segmented, non-rigid design, which is extremely flexible and enables the airship to cope with winds encountered during flight. Testing will take place at flight fields and at the University of Stuttgart’s facilities. Throughout the testing schedule, the envelope will be outfitted with various electronics packages and will support the refinement of Sanswire-TAO’s proprietary autonomous flight control system. Scientific teams will also work on the integration of the gas-cell and additional testing of the envelope in flight to evaluate a variety of atmospheric sensors as well as telemetry communications and ground controls. The production of the commercial STS-111 airship is based on a spiral developmental cycle using two separate STS-111 airship platforms aimed at achieving two separate sets of test objectives. The initial platform currently undergoing testing will be followed by a final fuelgas powered commercial platform. This second platform will house all final systems and equipment and perform higher altitude and extended duration testing.