With the boom in technology, humanity has increasingly started to exploit renewable energies. Solar cells are thus no longer unusual, as they are often found on various buildings. But so far we haven't had the chance to spot them on planes...
The world will soon say hello the first commercial solar plane. A means of transport in which there will be room for two passengers, will be able to reach the stratosphere and flew to just 25 km high.
Mission SolarStratos will take approx 5 hours. After the plane spends 2 hours climbing into space, it will hover among the stars for about 15 minutes, conjuring up an amazing experience. It will take 3 hours to descend back to Earth.
The vessel will not be additionally weighted for safety reasons. The pilot will have to wear it like that space suit, which will also use solar energy.
A plane covered with solar cells and drives it electric motor, has a wingspan 24 m, and its weight is 450 kg. It is equipped with a battery with 20 kWh electricity. Cells manufactured by Sunpower can boast an efficiency of between 22 and 24 %.
The team behind the project is currently testing the aircraft. We can expect it to be ready for feats in the following two years.
Gallery – SolarStratos
More information:
solarstratos.com
