Solar planes fly through the night

The Zephyr - a lightweight solar powered jetliner - broke the world record for the longest unmanned flight during 54 hours of nonstop flight, lasting two nights.

British company Qinetiq, the maker of the Zephyr, believes it is the first time a solar-powered aircraft can fly on its own for so long. The previous unmanned record was made in 2001, when a US Air Force jet flew over 30 hours.

Zephyr reaches a maximum altitude of over 18,000 meters. (Photo: BBC)

Zephyr's 54-hour flight will not be recorded in the Guinness Book of Records because a representative of the World Aeronautic Society, which certifies in such cases, is not informed of the secret test. . However, they learned about the second test, which lasted 33 hours, and could still be a formal record.

Zephyr was originally made to take pictures of a giant balloon (called Qinetiq 1), built to break the world record for the height of a manned balloon in 2003. Efforts on postponed after the balloon leaked.

However, the defense company continues to build this " photographic " aircraft for military purposes, observation of the earth and information.

Zephyr is not the first solar powered aircraft to run overnight. Another, called SoLong, was built by American company AC propulsion for 48 hours in 2005. However, unlike Zephyr, the SoLong does not fly continuously, often gliding or wobbling.

The US space agency NASA has also created the Pathfinder and Helios to replace satellites or other unmanned vehicles to explore extraterrestrial objects. Helios (more successful than Pathfinder) was shattered in a 2003 flight.

(Photo: BBC)

T. An