Solar-powered aircraft explained

Solar-powered aircraft are electric aircraft that can be an airplane, blimp, or airship and use either a battery or hydrogen to store the energy produced by the solar cells and use that energy at night when the sun isn't shining.

Usage

Solar-powered aircraft do not require fuel, so they don't require oxygen, and they are able to operate at altitudes over 20km (10miles) to 100km (100miles) for months at a time.^{[1] [2]}

Conventional passenger or cargo aircraft usages aren't practical yet with modern technology, but high-altitude platform stations and long-endurance missions over a fixed location with unmanned aircraft or airships are feasible. Thus solar-powered aircraft could be used in telecommunications, video/imagery, flight control by transporting airport surveillance radars, in precipitation detection by transporting weather radars, geopositioning Global Positioning Systems (GPS),^[3] and other pseudo satellite^[4] applications that transpond the data with ground stations.

List of solar airplanes

This list is non-exhaustive.

• AstroFlight Sunrise - first uncrewed solar flight in 1974^[5]
• Mauro Solar Riser - first crewed solar flight in April 1979^[6]
• MacCready Gossamer Penguin - second crewed solar flight in May 1980^[7]
• Pathfinder
• Centurion
• Helios
• Facebook Aquila
• Solar Impulse - first manned solar aircraft to circumnavigate the globe.^[8] Since reconfigured by Skydweller Aero into an uncrewed autonomous drone.^[9]
• Airbus Zephyr^[10]
• BAE Systems PHASA-35^[11]
• HAPSMobile Hawk30

Solar airships

Solar Airship One is being developed by Euro Airship and is planning to launch a would tour in 2026 and fly by 25 countries in 20 days as it travels around the world non-stop.

It will be autonomous and use electrolysis to store hydrogen to keep moving at night when the sun isn't shining.^[12]

See also

• Geostationary satellite
• High-altitude balloon
• Hydrogen-powered aircraft
• Ingenuity (helicopter) - Solar helicopter on mars
• Mars Aerial and Ground Global Intelligent Explorer (MAGGIE) - proposed solar VTOL aircraft to fly in the atmosphere of mars
• 2023 Chinese balloon incident
• Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay
• Radiosonde - telemetry device carried by weather balloons
• Advanced Technology Demonstrator - next generation Doppler radar for weather and air traffic control
• Third-generation photovoltaic cell

Notes and References

1. Web site: Recent Advancements in Solar-Powered Aircraft. December 21, 2022. AZoCleantech.com.
2. Web site: MIT School of Engineering | » Is it possible to make solar-powered airplanes?.
3. https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.00762
4. Web site: What are HAPS and what role will they play in future networks?. Kelly. Hill. December 20, 2021.
5. Web site: Sunrise, the world's first solar-powered airplane | Journal of Aircraft. 10.2514/3.45213 .
6. Web site: First solar powered aircraft: Mauro Solar Riser.
7. "Plane flies on sun power", by Terrance W. McGarry, United Press International report in the Spokane (WA) Chronicle, June 5, 1980, p12
8. Web site: Solar Impulse - Around the world to promote clean technologies. Solar Impulse.
9. Web site: Skydweller on mission to fly uncrewed solar aircraft autonomously nonstop around the world. Kevin . Joss . July 25, 2024 . Futurride.
10. Web site: Airbus, maker of long-flying Zephyr, launches US drone business. Colin. Demarest. November 13, 2023. C4ISRNet.
11. Web site: PHASA-35: High-Altitude UAS Offers Game-Changing Potential. Jessica. Reed. July 25, 2023. Avionics International.
12. Web site: Solar and hydrogen-powered aircraft will fly around the world for 20 days without stopping. Matthew . Burgos . September 19, 2023 . designboom | architecture & design magazine.