A new aerospace startup has a bold mission: autonomous flights, without producing any carbon emissions. But, is it possible?

‍What’s happening:‍

• South African aerospace startup Cloudline has raised $6M USD in a seed round led by Schmidt Futures, the philanthropic venture fund of former Google boss Eric Schmidt
  
• The round also included other notable backers such as Raba Partnership, Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures and more
  

The big idea:‍

• Each Cloudline airship is designed to be a cost efficient alternative to drones or helicopters, aiming to provide new ways to deliver goods to remote geographic locations
  
• Cloudline airships are powered by helium gas to lift off and then use battery and solar propulsion to be able to fly autonomously without producing any carbon emissions
  

Going deeper:‍

• While Cloudline is currently being used for delivering items and payloads, they have also partnered with government institutions for aerial monitoring and data overlay
  
• Cloudline has already earned regulatory approval in South Africa and is actively looking to expand into other regions in Africa and beyond
  

By the numbers:‍

• Each Cloudline airship has a range of 200 kilometres and a total endurance of 12 hours
  
• 100 kilograms of weight is the maximum payload that Cloudline can transport