SolarStratos logo.
July 23, 2020
Flanked by new wings, the SolarStratos solar plane was able to resume its test flights this Thursday in Payerne, after a two-year hiatus.
SolarStratos test flights have resumed in Payerne (VD) after a two-year hiatus. The solar plane now has new wings. In 2018, the left wing broke during a stress test, causing the project to be significantly delayed.
SolarStratos took off at 6:50 am Thursday morning
SolarStratos took off at 6:50 am Thursday morning. The aircraft reached an altitude of 800 meters. It rounded the Payerne aerodrome before touching down gently 20 minutes later. "Everything went perfectly," SolarStratos said in a statement.
The changes made in recent months have paid off, according to the team that has formed around Raphaël Domjan, the initiator of the project. The aircraft is now more stable and reliable than during the first test flights.
SolarStratos: an electric plane in space
The device was first presented in December 2016. Its goal: to successfully fly up to the stratosphere cleanly, using solar energy. The incident in July 2018, and the design of new wings, caused a delay, further exacerbated by the Covdi-19 health crisis.
SolarStratos is a unique and sensitive experimental aircraft, recalls the press release. Future flights will be with a single pilot, then duplicate flights will be planned, as the aircraft gradually gains altitude.
Related articles:
SolarStratos achieves its first flight
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2017/05/solarstratos-achieves-its-first-flight.html
Swiss adventurer unveils incredible stratospheric solar plane
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2016/12/swiss-adventurer-unveils-incredible.html
Stratospheric flight with a solar plane
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2014/11/stratospheric-flight-with-solar-plane.html
For more information about SolarStratos, visit: https://www.solarstratos.com/en/
Images, Text, Credits:ATS/SolarStratos/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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