International   

Solar plane breaks world record

LONDON: A solar-powered aircraft has broken the world record for longest unmanned flight, sailing for 54 hours more than 50,000 feet above the New Mexico desert, said defence research company QinetiQ. QinetiQ’s ultra-thin “Zephyr” plane nearly doubled the current record, which stood at 30 hours, 24 minutes in a flight on July 23, 2007, the company said in a statement.

The company acknowledged the record might not stand because the test, held at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, was not witnessed by officials from the World Air Sports Federation, which keeps and certifies records.

Built from carbon fibers, the trapezoid shaped aircraft is light enough to be launched, by hand, by a team of three. It uses paper-thin silicon panels to draw on the sun’s power and the surplus is stored in lithium-sulphur batteries, which power the plane through the night.

QinetiQ declined to say how much the programme cost, though it said Britain’s Ministry of Defence had contributed several million pounds to the project.

Potential applications for Zephyr include surveillance and communications work. — AP

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Sharif’s party moves apex court for redress
Party pins hopes on Kulsoom Sharif
Three LTTE ships destroyed: Navy
Talks on between U.S., Czech on anti-missile radar base
Green pioneer dead
Why yawning is contagious
Solar plane breaks world record
Soldiers injured
“Bring Indian bridegrooms for Russian girls”
Pranab to visit Thailand, South Korea to strengthen ‘Look East’ policy

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu