Switzerland tests solar-powered two-seater stratospheric plane
Switzerland tests solar-powered two-seater stratospheric plane

Video: Switzerland tests solar-powered two-seater stratospheric plane

Video: Switzerland tests solar-powered two-seater stratospheric plane
Video: Jidenna - Bambi 2024, November
Anonim

The flight of SolarStratos in the stratosphere as seen by the artist.

Switzerland hosts the first flight of the two-seater SolarStratos, which runs on electricity generated by solar panels on the wings. This is reported by the Swiss national television and radio company SRG SSR.

Today, there are several projects of electric aircraft, including those using solar panels to recharge batteries. However, most of the time it is about partial recharging, and fully solar-powered aircraft are in the minority.

SolarStratos gets all the energy it needs from solar panels on its 22 square meter wings. A two-seater aircraft weighs 450 kilograms with a length of 8.5 meters and a wingspan of 24.8 meters. The first flight of the aircraft took place at the airfield of the city of Payern on May 5, 2017. SolarStratos took off under the control of Damian Hischier, the flight took place at an altitude of 250-300 meters and lasted six minutes. By the end of 2018, the creators of SolarStratos plan to reach a record altitude for a solar-powered aircraft of 25 thousand meters.

The creators of the aircraft plan to use it for commercial flights into the stratosphere. The aircraft has a leaky cockpit, so the pilot and passenger will have to wear spacesuits. As noted by SRG SSR, ultra-light spacesuits designed by the Russian company Zvezda will be used for this.

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