World altitude record broken by solar-powered plane

Swiss researcher and pilot Raphael Domjan has set a world record by flying a solar-electric aircraft to an altitude of 9.5 kilometres. The flight took place on 12 August and lasted more than five hours. Domjan was flying the experimental HB-SXA aircraft, created by the German company Elektra Solar and modified by the startup SolarStratos.

After taking off from Sion airport, the pilot continuously gained altitude for two hours. The aircraft, weighing just 450 kg, has a 25-metre wingspan covered with solar panels covering an area of ​​more than 22 sq. m., which power two electric motors. A small lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 20 kWh is provided for safety, but in the record flight Domjan relied entirely on solar energy and thermal flows.

At an altitude of 9,521 m, the unpressurized cabin required the pilot to wear a spacesuit with oxygen supply and protection from temperatures of about -70 ° C. Despite the extreme conditions, the flight was successful, and the aircraft has already flown for over a hundred hours.

The previous record belonged to Solar Impulse pilot André Borschberg, who climbed to 9,235 m in 2010. The new result has yet to be confirmed by the International Aeronautical Federation, but Domjan is confident that the 10 km mark is already close. His ambitious goal is to reach the stratosphere (25 km), and in the future to go into space in a vehicle that runs exclusively on solar energy.

The SolarStratos project involves conducting atmospheric research and demonstrating the possibilities of environmentally friendly technologies. However, such aircraft have limitations: they cannot carry cargo and can accommodate only one or two people.

Rafael Domian has long been known as a proponent of solar transport. He previously led the PlanetSolar project, the first solar-powered ship to circumnavigate the globe. Now he intends to prove that even in aviation, clean energy can compete with traditional fuels.