Google co-founder Sergey Brin’s airship, Pathfinder 1, has received a special airworthiness certificate, allowing it to begin flight tests at Moffett Field in Silicon Valley, California. The helium-filled airship, designed for humanitarian and cargo transport, will conduct about 25 low-level flights and approximately 50 hours of flight time. Unlike airships of the past, Pathfinder 1 is made of lightweight titanium and carbon-fiber, and uses non-flammable helium instead of explosive hydrogen as its lifting gas. The airship has a hybrid propulsion system and can reach speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour. LTA Research and Exploration, the company Brin founded, plans to use hydrogen in future versions of the airship. The main purpose of the airship is for humanitarian missions, delivering cargo and personnel to areas that are difficult to access by road. The Pathfinder 1 will later be moved to an airship hangar in Akron, Ohio for further development.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/lta-airship-faa-clearance