Swiss solar plane claims altitude record
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Swiss solar plane claims altitude record
SolarStratos, a Swiss solar-powered aircraft, has completed the highest-ever solar-electric flight, its team claims. Pilot Raphaël Domjan reached an altitude of 9,521 metres on Tuesday above Switzerland. The previous record was held by Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard and the Solar Impulse plane (9,235m).
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The flight, which lasted 5 hours and 9 minutes, departed from Sion airport in southern Switzerland. The HB-SXA experimental aircraft succeeded in its world altitude record attempt powered solely by solar energy, also taking advantage of the natural thermals provided by the Valais topography, according to a press release on Wednesday. This 9,521-metre mark must still be validated by the Fédération Internationale d’Aviation (FAI).
“This achievement marks a major milestone on the path toward reaching the stratosphere using only solar power — and already fulfils the mission’s goal: to capture imaginations with emblematic, spectacular challenges that promote solar energy and the protection of our biosphere and planet,” said the SolarStratos team.
The SolarStratos mission began following the round-the-world journey of the PlanetSolar Foundation’s giant solar catamaran — another world first, achieved in 2012. The SolarStratos project was officially launched in 2015.
Adapted from German by DeepL/sb
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