Patent ID: 7073749

Claim:
A method of deploying an airship having un inflatable body, an airship payload and at least one propeller assembly comprising the steps of: packaging said airship in a compacted state for high altitude deployment as a missile payload within a missile; flying said missile to a general area of deployment; separating said missile payload from said missile at the general area of deployment; boosting said separated missile payload to a predetermined location and a predetermined altitude; releasing said airship from said boosted missile payload; and deploying said airship at said predetermined location and predetermined altitude, wherein said deploying comprises the steps of: inflating said inflatable body with one of a compressed gas and a chemically generated gas carried in said airship payload at a rate to maintain said predetermined altitude; and deploying said at least one propeller assembly into an operational position for station keeping and relocating said airship, wherein said at least one propeller assembly is one of a foldable propeller assembly and an inflatable propeller assembly.