Tandem Airship  

The Tandem airship is a low cost micro airship capable of flight to 110,000 feet.  Tandem fills the 
gap between free balloons and complex high altitude airships. We developed the Tandem as a construction 
tool for the Dark Sky Station. It will also be used as a "mothership" for miniature, high speed, test airships.

High Racks, (Away Missions) have been the workhorse for Airship to Orbit development so far. Tandem will 
now step into that role.

                                              
Tandem consists of two balloon separated by a truss. Tandem is driven by propellers on electric motors.

           
      Front, (without balloons)                                      High Altitude Propellers
We've made a lot of quick trips to the edge of space. Now it's time to extend our stay. To accomplished that we need
infrastructure. Before we can begin construction we need tools. Tandem is that tool. It's our truck, backhoe, and crane.

            
         Side view. The rings allow the balloons to rotate fore and aft.      View from below. The frame is 30 feet long, the airship is 120 feet long at peak altitude.

                                    
                                                        Eighteen foot test Tandem being launched.

Several organization and agencies has expressed an interest in Tandem. In addition to construction work Tandems are
suited to:

             Telecommunications

             Reconnaissance

             Remote sensing

             Disaster response

             Training

             Test Bed

  Back to the Main Tandem page.