Naoto Morita Aims for Stratosphere with Soft HAPS Startup Velocity Aero Works
Morita's move from academic research to a startup CTO role signals a push to commercialize soft HAPS technology for stratospheric flight.
Reporting from 1 source: ASCII.jp.
Naoto Morita, who developed control technology for soft HAPS at the University of Tokyo, co-founded Velocity Aero Works in 2025. As CTO, he aims to reach the stratosphere with a domestically produced aircraft with a wingspan of 30 meters. The report from ASCII.jp details his transition from academic research to startup leadership, with the goal of commercializing the soft HAPS technology for stratospheric flight.
High-altitude platform stations, or HAPS, are aircraft or balloons that operate in the stratosphere for communications and observation. Morita's work at the University of Tokyo focused on control systems for a flexible-wing variant, known as soft HAPS. In 2025, he co-founded Velocity Aero Works and took the role of CTO. The company is developing a domestically produced aircraft with a 30-meter wingspan designed to reach the stratosphere. The article from ASCII.jp covers this transition from lab to startup.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- ASCII.jp 森田直人：柔らかい翼で成層圏へ、HAPS研究者の新たな離陸