Solar power takes many forms, and a Swiss pilot harnessed at least two types to soar to a new altitude record for solar-powered aircraft last week. Raphael Domjan coaxed the SolarStratos to 9,521 meters, or 31,237 feet, in a flight over the Swiss Alps Aug. 12. That’s about 1,000 feet higher than SolarImpulse reached on its circumnavigation in 2016. The SolarStratos has an 80-foot wingspan to carry 200 square feet of solar panels to power the electric motor that got the aircraft off the ground at Sion Airport in southwest Switzerland, but then Domjan got a boost from a different kind of solar power.
“This historic 5-hour-and-9-minute flight, powered entirely by solar energy and supported by thermal updrafts, marks a major step forward toward a more sustainable future,” SolarStratos said in a news release. Domjan’s goal is to reach 10,000 meters in the little plane to promote a more sustainable future for aviation. He said the record flight is “a powerful symbol of what the decarbonized aviation of tomorrow might look like.” Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) is now validating the flight.
