{"rewrite":{"id":"r_52ecae5dceaad437aa7bc234","clusterId":"c_86aeaadd48045f4416522aa7","slug":"naoto-morita-aims-for-stratosphere-with-soft-haps-startup-velocity-aero-works","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Naoto Morita Aims for Stratosphere with Soft HAPS Startup Velocity Aero Works","summary":"Naoto Morita, who developed control technology for soft HAPS at the University of Tokyo, co-founded Velocity Aero Works in 2025. As CTO, he aims to reach the stratosphere with a domestically produced aircraft with a wingspan of 30 meters. The report from ASCII.jp details his transition from academic research to startup leadership, with the goal of commercializing the soft HAPS technology for stratospheric flight.","whyItMatters":"Morita's move from academic research to a startup CTO role signals a push to commercialize soft HAPS technology for stratospheric flight.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eHigh-altitude platform stations, or HAPS, are aircraft or balloons that operate in the stratosphere for communications and observation. Morita\u0026#39;s work at the University of Tokyo focused on control systems for a flexible-wing variant, known as soft HAPS. In 2025, he co-founded Velocity Aero Works and took the role of CTO. The company is developing a domestically produced aircraft with a 30-meter wingspan designed to reach the stratosphere. The article from ASCII.jp covers this transition from lab to startup.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Naoto Morita, University of Tokyo researcher, co-founded Velocity Aero Works in 2025. As CTO, he aims to reach the stratosphere with a 30-meter wingspan soft HAPS aircraft. The startup targets commercializing the technology.","twitterPost":"Naoto Morita, University of Tokyo researcher, co-founded Velocity Aero Works in 2025. As CTO, he aims to reach the stratosphere with a 30-meter wingspan soft HAPS aircraft. The startup targets commercializing the technology.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Naoto Morita, who developed control technology for soft HAPS at the University of Tokyo, co-founded Velocity Aero Works in 2025. As CTO, he aims to reach the stratosphere with a domestically produced aircraft with a wingspan of 30 meters. The report from ASCII.jp covers his transition from academic research to startup leadership.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"ASCII.jp\",\"url\":\"https://ascii.jp/elem/000/004/417/4417254/?rss\",\"title\":\"森田直人：柔らかい翼で成層圏へ、HAPS研究者の新たな離陸\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":5885,"outputTokens":2787,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1783477006,"createdAt":"2026-07-08T02:09:39.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-08T02:13:32.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-08T02:09:39.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_86aeaadd48045f4416522aa7","canonicalTitle":"森田直人：柔らかい翼で成層圏へ、HAPS研究者の新たな離陸","representativeArticleId":"a_caa309a609bfad196241b240","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Naoto Morita\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-08T01:14:24.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-08T01:14:24.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-08T02:13:32.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"ASCII.jp","url":"https://ascii.jp/elem/000/004/417/4417254/?rss","title":"森田直人：柔らかい翼で成層圏へ、HAPS研究者の新たな離陸"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":["Naoto Morita"],"type":"news","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}