Solar Impulse 2 circumnavigated the Earth without using a drop of fuel. Now, Skydweller Aero aims to use the plane to create the world's first commercially viable 'pseudo-satellite.'
that large constellations of satellites could damage the ozone layer by releasing chemicals as they burn on re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.After buying Solar Impulse 2, Skydweller spent months modifying it and flew it again for the first time in November 2020. Since then, it has completed 12 test flights, in the sunny weather of southeastern Spain."We're in the process of turning it into a drone," says Miller.
Solar Impulse 2 flying over San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge on April 23, 2016, during its circumnavigation of the globe.Take-offs and landings are still handled by the pilot, but Miller says the next step is adding systems that will make them automatic."After that, we can remove the pilot from the aircraft. We're in the process of beginning construction of a second aircraft that has no cockpit at all," he adds.
Miller says that the aircraft could be deployed as early as 2023, and that he believes there will be a market for a fleet of thousands. Companies like Facebook and Google have tested pseudo-satellites in the past, but without ever developing a commercial product. "There will certainly be increasing demand for the type of services Skydweller provides," says Jeremiah Gertler, an aviation analyst at aerospace and defense market analysis company Teal Group."While others are offering similar and different solutions to high altitude and long endurance missions, there is a clear advantage to being the first ant at the picnic."As was the case with satellites, the project is attracting early interest for governmental and military applications.
Many of its potential applications have environmental benefits, including monitoring the use of natural resources -- for example, scouting the ocean for illegal fishing or for oil leaks from deep sea drilling operations."There are ways to do that with remote sensing from an aircraft, but it's extremely difficult to do it from a satellite," Miller says.
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