Useful information about New Generation Airships

On July 30, we conducted the next stage of testing for the NOVA-01 airship—this time focusing on the low mooring point and the weathervaning system.

A new configuration was assembled and tested: we practiced takeoff and landing, as well as coupling and uncoupling the airship during mooring—all in manual piloted mode. The results were excellent: the aircraft demonstrated stability and confident handling.

The key feature of this system is that the attachment point is located not on the nose, but directly on the airship’s gondola. This engineering solution significantly reduces the weathervaning radius, which means it also saves space during storage and parking.

A compact round metal platform has been installed under the landing gear, ensuring smooth movement and free weathervaning around the mooring point. At the same time, it is easy to assemble and takes up minimal space.

It is important to note that all tests are being carried out on a scaled-down version of the NOVA-2 airship—NOVA-01. These tests are necessary to study the future airship’s behavior in real-world conditions. During weathervaning with the full-scale NOVA-2, ground pressure may reach up to one ton, which could result in rutting. That is why a new support platform was developed and tested to evenly distribute the load and protect the surface.

The next step is to use the data from these flights to train the automatic mooring systems. The goal is to bring NOVA-01, and eventually NOVA-2, to a new level of autonomy, including unmanned automatic mooring.

We are moving forward. Stay tuned for more updates—there is much more to come!

*The translation is done with the help of artificial intelligence.

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