Solar-powered aircraft

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NASA's Pathfinder prototype Pathfinder Plus solar aircraft over Hawaii.jpg
NASA's Pathfinder prototype

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.

Contents

Usage

Solar-powered aircraft do not require fuel, so they don't require oxygen, and they are able to operate at altitudes over 20 kilometres (12 mi) to 100 kilometres (62 mi) 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.

Solar airships

Stratobus high altitude airship Stratobus artiste.jpg
Stratobus high altitude airship

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

Mars solar powered aircraft 01.webp
Mars solar powered aircraft 03.webp
Mars solar powered aircraft 02.webp
Solar-powered aircraft concept for Mars. VTOL capabilities to land and recharge the batteries. [13]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerobot</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solar Impulse</span> Long-range solar-powered aircraft

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hybrid-Airplane Technology H-Aero</span> German hybrid electric aircraft unmanned aerial vehicle

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Facebook Aquila</span> Type of aircraft

The Facebook Aquila is an experimental solar-powered drone developed by Facebook for use as an atmospheric satellite, intended to act as relay stations for providing internet access to remote areas. The Aquila first flew on 28 June 2016 with a second aircraft successfully flying in 2017. Internal development of the Aquila aircraft was stopped in June 2018.

HAPSMobile is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SoftBank planning to operate High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) networks. HAPSMobile is developing the Hawk30 solar-powered unmanned aircraft for stratospheric telecommunications. It has a strategic relationship with Loon LLC, a subsidiary of Google's parent Alphabet Inc.

An electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is a variety of VTOL aircraft that uses electric power to hover, take off, and land vertically. This technology came about owing to major advances in electric propulsion and the emerging need for new aerial vehicles for urban air mobility that can enable greener and quieter flights. Electric and hybrid propulsion systems (EHPS) have also the potential of lowering the operating costs of aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BAE Systems PHASA-35</span> Type of aircraft

The BAE Systems Persistent High Altitude Solar Aircraft (PHASA-35) is a High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by BAE Systems in collaboration with Prismatic. Designed as a cheaper alternative to satellites, the aircraft can be used for surveillance, border control, communications and disaster relief with a potential ability to stay airborne for up to 12 months. Developed in less than two years, the aircraft carried out its first flight in February 2020 and further trials are currently ongoing.

References

  1. "Recent Advancements in Solar-Powered Aircraft". AZoCleantech.com. December 21, 2022.
  2. "MIT School of Engineering | » Is it possible to make solar-powered airplanes?".
  3. https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.00762
  4. Hill, Kelly (December 20, 2021). "What are HAPS and what role will they play in future networks?".
  5. "Sunrise, the world's first solar-powered airplane | Journal of Aircraft". doi:10.2514/3.45213.
  6. "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. "Solar Impulse - Around the world to promote clean technologies". Solar Impulse.
  9. Joss, Kevin (July 25, 2024). "Skydweller on mission to fly uncrewed solar aircraft autonomously nonstop around the world". Futurride.
  10. Demarest, Colin (November 13, 2023). "Airbus, maker of long-flying Zephyr, launches US drone business". C4ISRNet.
  11. Reed, Jessica (July 25, 2023). "PHASA-35: High-Altitude UAS Offers Game-Changing Potential". Avionics International.
  12. Burgos, Matthew (September 19, 2023). "Solar and hydrogen-powered aircraft will fly around the world for 20 days without stopping". designboom | architecture & design magazine.
  13. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/41504124_A_Mars_VTOL_Aerobot_-_Preliminary_Design_Dynamics_and_Control