Airship Industry Study

In April, 2015 NASA Ames Research Center conducted a study of the airship industry. The project called for a report that would describe airship concepts proposed or projects initiated, airship performance or capability targets, and the missions these activities were addressing. It would detail the principal technical features of these airships; the proposed value/advantages of the features, notional concepts of operation, and challenges associated with the vehicles. Also investigated would be the current status and near-term prospects of these airship development activities, whether they are active or, if curtailed the circumstances and possible reasons for that conclusion including technical, business, or other mitigating factors. For the most active programs an assessment would be conducted to identify the resources or activities required for airships to advance to series construction and operational deployment. The study would also identify impediments to these developments and deployments, with recommendations provided to address existing issues in the airship industry today.