HUMBLE BEGINNING. SOARING FUTURE.
Aerostar has taken lighter-than-air technologies to all new heights by leveraging the most brilliant minds, materials, and machinery for over 65 years to connect, protect, and save lives.
Aerostar traces its roots through Raven Industries, back to the General Mills Applied Sciences Division, where Barrage Balloons and other scientific items were developed and manufactured for the war effort.
Four General Mills employees had a passion for ballooning. They established Raven Industries to advance and develop all other aspects of ballooning, utilizing imagination and innovation that would define their legacy. Their primary purpose was the manufacture of high altitude research balloons for the U.S. Navy. Raven produced a line of polyethylene high altitude balloons used for research in the near space environment of 100,000 to 150,000 feet altitudes.
In 1960, Raven invented the modern hot air balloon. In 1966, Raven expanded to accommodate the manufacturing of parachutes and purchased 11.5 acres of land in the Industrial Park in Sioux Falls, SD where a 36,000 square foot production plant was built.
In 1970, Raven successfully launched and flew the first unmanned stratospheric airship in history to achieve powered flight in the stratosphere.
Aerostar International was established in 1986 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Raven Industries, carrying on everything which Raven was at its inception. The technologies and expertise of Raven’s scientific ballooning history were transferred to Aerostar. By leveraging engineering expertise, manufacturing knowledge, and a thirst for innovation, Aerostar revolutionized its product lines.
In 2012, the acquisition of Vista Research Inc added smart sensing radar systems (SSRS) the portfolio. Today, Aerostar radar systems are deployed on maritime, land, and air platforms to provide perception for a host of advanced detection and tracking applications in support of defense, security, intelligence, and safety applications.
From 2012 to 2021, Aerostar partnered with Loon, LLC (formerly known as Project Loon), a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. to develop of an autonomous constellation of high-altitude balloons for communications. Aerostar leveraged the Loon partnership and 65 years history of balloon expertise to design and build the Thunderhead stratospheric platform. Most notably, Aerostar developed the Thunderstorm Balloon System capable navigating to find and maintain station above designated areas by changing altitude to catch winds in the stratosphere.
In 2022, Aerostar was acquired by TCOM Holdings LLC. The greater TCOM family of systems provides multi-layered ISR solutions consisting of tethered aerostats, tethered unmanned aerial systems (Te-UAS), high-altitude balloons (HABs), and tethered drones, offering unprecedented operational coverage across various altitudes, from ground level to the stratosphere.
Aerostar stands as a testament to decades of innovation, evolving from its roots in lighter-than-air technologies to a forward-thinking industry leader. With state-of-the-art machinery and a highly skilled team, Aerostar is poised to grow as a premier partner in contract manufacturing, offering solutions that deliver precision, reliability, and scalability.
Today, the company leverages its expertise in high-altitude platforms, protective solutions, and cutting-edge electronics to connect, protect, and save lives across critical industries.
As Aerostar continues to lead in stratospheric advancements and manufacturing excellence, the company is prepared to take on the challenges of tomorrow while staying true to their mission: to make the world a safer, more connected place.
These high altitude balloons, at 100,000 to 150,000 feet altitudes, carried capsules holding mice, monkeys, and even cosmic ray measuring devices that served as key proving ground for establishing man's compatibility in space.
In 1970, Raven successfully launched and flew the first unmanned stratospheric airship in history to achieve powered flight in the stratosphere.