Quantitative Risk Forecasting From Near Space
We live at the bottom of an ocean of air. We mostly live, breathe, and fly in the troposphere, where the weather occurs, or we move through the upper atmosphere in transit to space.
The stratosphere, the region between Earth's weather and outer space, is seldom traveled except by balloons or a few exotic aircraft like the SR-71, U-2, and Concorde. What happens there – the interplay of chemistry, radiation, and dynamics – controls much of what happens on Earth's surface.
Iris Aero was formed specifically to explore the stratosphere and leverage it for practical purposes. With new sensors, AI-driven data analysis, and a new class of long-endurance aircraft, we can better understand and solve some our world's biggest climate issues.
We can forecast when and where wildfires will form; we can detect their ignition; we can track them and dramatically improve the accuracy of predictions about how they will intensify and move. We can track the decay of glaciers, which hold the key to predicting the rise of sea levels. We can understand how the addition of new particles and chemicals can influence the ozone layer. We can provide regional-scale communications - as a substitute, enhancement, or replacement for ground and satellite communication. We can monitor, track, and even intercept high altitude balloons, an old technology for which our adversaries have found new uses and applications. And we can do all of this far more cost-effectively than both ground and space-based systems.
About Us
Addressing Global Concerns
For decades, scientists and engineers have envisioned a solar‑powered aircraft capable of soaring in the stratosphere for weeks or even months – harvesting sunlight during the day to power flight and charge onboard batteries, then relying on that stored energy to continue operating through the night. Thanks to recent advances in high‑efficiency solar cells, lightweight structural materials, and next‑generation batteries, that vision is finally within reach.
Iris is developing the Stratospheric Airborne Comprehensive Observation System (SACOS) – a robust and ultra‑light aircraft designed for persistent stratospheric operations. SACOS is a solar-powered, all-electric, long-duration, high-altitude aircraft that flies autonomously in the stratosphere. This vantage point is ideal for Earth observation: high enough to stay above weather, smoke, and air traffic, yet close enough to capture detailed, high-resolution imagery and maintain continuous coverage over areas of interest. SACOS will maintain station at high altitude for extended periods, providing an unparalleled vantage point ideally suited for many applications.
Wildfire prediction, early detection, and real-time tracking
Post-disaster monitoring and restoration of emergency communications
Wide-area, continuous surveillance with high spatial and temporal resolution
Atmospheric sampling and environmental monitoring
Rapid prototyping and flight testing of space-based sensors
Solar-powered aircraft have historically faced two overarching challenges: energy storage and aeroelasticity. The Stratospheric Airborne Comprehensive Observing System (SACOS) overcomes both these challenges. Batteries have improved by almost an order of magnitude in energy storage density since the MIT Daedalus Project in the 80s, while the unique “tailerons” developed by Mark Drela provide a mechanism for controlling the wing’s response to gusts and turbulence.
The 2020 MIT capstone design class developed numerical optimization models culminating in the Dawn One technology demonstrator, built and flown in 2022. Over the next two years, NASA sponsorship developed key systems for stratospheric flight. The creation of Iris in 2025 provided a dedicated entity focused on the technology and missions of stratospheric flight. Today we are moving to full system demonstrations and towards operational deployment.
SACOS
Platform Design
Jim Anderson & John Langford
A World-Class Collaboration & Partnership
The idea behind Iris began in the 1980s, when John Langford organized and led a team at MIT that designed, built, and flew the Daedalus, a human-powered aircraft of unparalleled efficiency and elegance. Daedalus set FAI-sanctioned world records that endure to this day with its April 1988 flight from Crete to Santorini. Following the flight, John met Jim Anderson, professor at Harvard and pioneer in stratospheric instruments carried on rockets, balloons, and manned aircraft. Together, John and Jim launched Aurora Flight Sciences.
From 1989 to 2020, Aurora was an innovator in a range of robotic aircraft for scientific, military, and commercial applications. After Aurora was acquired by Boeing in 2017, John went on to found Electra.aero, a pioneer in electric aircraft propulsion. In 2020, Electra worked closely with students and professors at the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics to launch two major projects: a hybrid-electric, blown-lift manned passenger aircraft, and a solar-electric, stratospheric robotic aircraft.
Iris Aero, named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow and daughter of Electra, has been spun out from her parent company to focus on the instruments, AI-driven data analysis routines, and platforms engendered by the solar-electric mission.