Page 29 - World Airnews Magazine October Edition 2020
P. 29
NEWS
PARACHUTING
FROM
A SOLAR-
POWERED PLANE
By J. George Gorant
Copyright © 2020 Fred Merz / Lundi13 / SolarStratos
planned for the summer on the way to its record of note, especially since higher alti-
ultimate goal: reaching near space. tudes allow planes to reach higher speeds,
he SolarStratos, a 28-foot (8.5m) “The next flights should take place early while using less power.
Ttwo-seater with an 81-foot (24.7m) next year,” Bernard Schopfer, the project’s It won’t be easy.
wingspan, took off from Payerne, Swit- director of communications said. The SolarStratos first launched in 2016,
zerland, in the last days of August, using “High-altitude flights will follow, with an but after a stress test produced a crack in
nothing more than the power of the sun. attempt to reach the stratosphere most the wing in 2018, the project went on a
likely in 2022,” he added.
When it reached a height of 5,000 feet, two-year hiatus while structural redesigns
(1 500m) its founder and co-pilot, Raphaël Global air travel produces 915 million took place.
Domjan, jumped out, becoming the first tons of carbon dioxide a year, more than The improved version launched in July,
person to successfully parachute from an two percent of all human-generated green- using a 20-kW lithium-ion battery powered
electric aircraft. house gas, according to the Air Transport by 237 sq. ft. of solar panels.
Action Group. Some forecasts predict that
“I am very proud of this achievement,” It weighed in at just 992 pounds or (450
Domjan said afterwards. number could more than triple by 2050. kgs). To keep weight down, the plane’s
That’s why getting a solar-powered plane
“Our aim is to demonstrate the poten- to an elevation of 120,000 feet would be a cabin is not pressurized, which means the
tial of solar energy and electric pilot must wear a spacesuit and
mobility. It is a message of hope endure temperatures that could
for future generations: tomorrow reach -94 degrees F.
they will still be able to dream Bertrand Piccard, a fellow Swiss
and carry out activities such as national who several years ago
parachuting without greenhouse circumnavigated the globe in
gas emissions and in absolute a solar plane, praised the new
silence.” record.
It’s unclear if this was a “record” “This project illustrates the
that anyone else was trying to set, new cycle that now characterizes
but Domjan’s larger point holds up. aviation, which must imperative-
SolarStratos is not the first solar ly adapt to renewable energies,”
plane, but it helps prove that solar he said. Q
aviation is viable and advances
the technology for solar flight. The Article courtesy: https://
parachuting drop was one of about robbreport.com/author/
20 hops the SolarStratos team had j-george-gorant/
World Airnews | October 2020
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