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.
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 system to navigate balloons in the stratosphere capable of finding and maintaining station above designated areas by changing altitude to catch winds.
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.