Boeing shows autonomous solar plane that will make its first flight in spring 2019

Aurora Flight Services, part of Boeing, presents its unmanned solar plane Odysseus. The company wants to carry out the first flight in the spring of 2019 and is making the aircraft for climate research, among other things.

According to Aurora, the Odysseus has a wingspan of 74 meters, the aircraft weighs less than a small car and the solar panels can continuously generate 250 watts of power. This would allow the solar plane to remain in the air for ‘many months’ uninterrupted. A payload of 25kg can be carried during the flight.

The aircraft is a so-called haps, or a high-altitude pseudo-satellite. The goal is that the solar plane can fly around at high altitudes for a very long time and thus do in fact the same as a satellite. Boeing claims the Odysseus is the world’s ‘most capable’ solar plane.

The primary goal is to collect data about the climate by plane, but according to Aurora, the solar plane can also be used for communication, connectivity and espionage. More companies are working on comparable autonomous solar planes. Airbus set a record in August with its Zephyr S, which managed to stay in the air for more than 25 days.