Persistent
Designed to remain on station and keep research data moving beyond a short aircraft sortie.
keenori / AURA programme
A solar aircraftfor persistent connectivity.
AURA is being developed to operate at 16–22 km and remain on station using solar energy. Its first mission: make research and data relay for IoT and autonomous systems faster to deploy, locally controlled and accessible beyond fixed infrastructure.
Explore the aircraft
22 kmDesign altitude
14.10 mCurrent span
27.6Aspect ratio
02 / The aircraft
Above the ground.
Inside the network.
22kilometres
design altitude
design altitude
AURA operates at altitudes of 16–22 km with a radio horizon of up to 560 km. The system's practical coverage area is approximately 180 km in diameter. Unlike a satellite, AURA can remain on station over a defined geographic area for extended periods and maintain communications with terrestrial, airborne and maritime users.
≤180 kmpractical coverage
diameter
diameter
Up to 180 km diameter
Persistent regional coverage Base stationUAVUGVMarine dronesIoT devices
Persistent regional coverage Base stationUAVUGVMarine dronesIoT devices
03 / Why keep an aircraft there?
A network where you need it.
Satellites provide enormous reach, but they are not always the right infrastructure for a local mission. A high-altitude aircraft adds a deployable layer: persistent research and data relay centred on the region that needs it.
Deployable
Coverage can be positioned over a region without first building an extensive ground network.
Private
A dedicated aircraft can become an operator-controlled network for IoT and autonomous systems.
One aircraft can be a data relay. Several aircraft can become an accessible private regional network.
04 / How we are building it
The aircraft and its digital model evolve together.
keen DT is our digital engineering environment, evolving with AURA and spanning the product lifecycle: research, development, manufacturing, testing, deployment and operational support. Analyses, configurations and design iterations converge into a single digital twin of the aircraft — from conceptual studies and integration with simulation platforms to detailed design and production preparation. In time, keen DT can become a standalone platform for developing aircraft of this class.
In-house aerodynamics
Built for low-Re flight.
The wing profile was developed specifically for AURA's low-Reynolds-number operating conditions. At the 22 km cruise point, the complete wing reaches the required lift within 0.79%, while calculated total drag is 12.29% below the design allowance.
keen_005lrIn-house wing profile
22 kmOperational cruise point
+0.79%Lift target match
−12.29%Total drag vs design
Engineering workflow
From a mission concept
to a buildable aircraft.
Current stage · finalising calculationsThe configuration is defined and the main aerodynamic, stability and energy models are converging before detailed engineering begins.
Mission concept
Coverage, persistence and operating altitude defined.
Configuration & sizing
Reference geometry, mass logic and architecture established.
Engineering calculations
Aerodynamics, stability, energy and operating points under verification.
Detailed design
Structures, systems integration and production-level CAD.
Prototype & validation
Ground testing, flight testing and model correlation.
05 / Where this can go
Connectivity is the first mission.
IoT data relayEnvironmental researchEmergency networksUAV & UGV linksMarine drone linksPrivate infrastructure
We see high-altitude solar aircraft as a new layer between terrestrial infrastructure and satellites — deployable where persistent coverage, accessible data and local control matter.
06 / keenori
keenori lab.
Keenori is an independent engineering R&D company in Ukraine. We are developing a high-altitude solar aircraft and the digital tools behind it to make persistent research and data relay practical, deployable and more accessible.
Founder
Viktor Musiienko
Founder & Chief Systems Engineer