Aerostat and tethered balloon mooring cable. Combines high tensile strength (Kevlar/steel) with power and signal conductors. For surveillance aerostats, advertising balloons, and research balloon tether applications.
Aerostat tether cables serve a dual function: they must mechanically moor the aerostat against wind loads while simultaneously carrying power to onboard systems (cameras, sensors, communications) and signal data back to the ground station. This combination of high tensile strength and electrical function in a single lightweight, flexible cable is a specialised engineering challenge that requires aerospace-grade materials and construction.
Our aerostat tether cables use Kevlar or high-strength steel wire as the load-bearing element, with fine-stranded copper power and signal conductors wrapped around or integrated into the tensile core, enclosed in a weather-resistant outer sheath. The design minimises weight — every gram of cable weight reduces the payload capacity of the aerostat.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Tensile Element | Kevlar or galvanized steel |
| Breaking Strength | Custom — 100 to 5,000+ kg |
| Power Cores | 1 – 4 cores, 0.75 – 4 mm² |
| Rated Voltage | 300V – 1kV |
| Weight | Minimised — design specific |
| Outer Sheath | UV and weather resistant |
| Temp Range | −40°C to +80°C |
The tether tension is driven by the aerodynamic drag of the aerostat envelope in wind — not the buoyancy lift alone. A surveillance aerostat at 300m altitude in 20 m/s wind can generate tether tensions of several hundred kilograms. The tensile element must be rated with a safety factor of 4–6× the maximum design tension.
At 300m altitude, 300m of tether cable weighing 50g/m adds 15 kg of dead weight that the aerostat must lift — reducing payload capacity by 15 kg. Lightweight Kevlar tensile construction reduces cable weight by 60–70% compared to steel wire, directly improving payload capacity.
