Almost two months have passed since the roll-out of the plane and the emotion and memory of that moment are still very much alive; the unveiling was magical and such a landmark in the life of SolarStratos!
The event also had the desired effect on the world’s media: the coverage was incredible with take up by media from all over the globe. The unveiling generated immense interest in the project and we received many requests for more information via our networks.
May such excitement continue into 2017!
It is certainly the case for the SolarStratos technical team who have started the year with plenty of work to do. January has been dedicated to the detailed finishes on the plane ahead of its first flight which is scheduled for March. The aircraft returned to Germany where our partners, Elektra Solar and CarbonWacker installed the remaining instruments in the cockpit and conducted the final tests.
Michel and Philippe, two members of our team, underwent technical training to fully understand the aircraft’s mechanical and electrical systems, to be able to adjust the carbon fibre structure and the electrical subsystems and to prepare the Solar bird for flight.
SolarStratos will return to its base in Payerne in February for the final preparations ahead of the first flight in March. Stay posted to find out how we are progressing!
Thank you all once again for your unwavering support!
Raphael and the SolarStratos team
All the pieces of the puzzle are in place: solarstratos is ready for take-off
As the end of the year approaches, it is time for Raphael and the SolarStratos team to take stock; to assess the vitality of the project and set targets and actions for 2017 while reflecting on recent achievements. And there have been so many achievements this year!
2016 began with an altitude flight aboard an Eco-Light during which Raphael and Pierrick Duvoisin, an engineer from science and technology partner CSEM, climbed to around 7,000 metres to test the effect of altitude on the SolarStratos solar panels.
A few weeks later, the team tested the photovoltaic cells in the stratosphere at 35,000 metres thanks to partner Swiss Strato, who provided a hydrogen balloon that towed the solar cells, along with the famous cow and Swiss Ambassador, Happy Lilly, and a glass of Neuchâtel white wine! The stunning images that returned from the stratosphere were an indication of what is to come when the record-breaking flight gets underway.
The team has carried out numerous other tests throughout the year, notably in Moscow, on Raphael’s space suit that will protect him from cosmic rays and the non-pressurised cockpit. It is not easy to move in such a restricted space, but Raphael and the team trust official partner Zvezda to optimise the suit to ensure the eco-expedition is carried out safely.
2016 also saw the inauguration of the unique three-axis SolarStratos simulator. Unveiled at the Numerik Games Festival in Yverdon-les-Bains in September, this technological marvel not only provides training for the pilots, but acts as a promotional tool as well. It is currently installed at the SolarStratos base at the Payerne Airfield.
The base was built in a month during the autumn and now houses the SolarStratos aeroplane and all the equipment required for the development of the project.
Safety, testing and training are important for the SolarStratos mission, but you also need to know how to have fun! So, at the end of August the SolarStratos Club arranged its first outing and travelled to Bordeaux to experience the Zero-G flights. An unforgettable weightless moment for all that attended!
2016 closed on a high with the Roll Out of the plane; a great event for the whole team and our 300 guests that included personalities, ambassadors, representatives of local and national authorities and our partners. Media coverage of the event was exceptional and demonstrated the immense public interest in the stratospheric, solar and ‘clean’ adventure that we have embarked on.
The new year is set to be equally exciting with the first test flights on the agenda; these are a crucial step towards obtaining the final authorisation to fly, participate in events and train towards our record-breaking flight. We will present our 2017 activities in detail at the beginning of the year.
In the meantime, we thank you for your support and passion and look forward to continuing to share this exceptional adventure with you.
Happy Holidays!
Raphael and the SolarStratos team.
Pictures: © SolarStratos / Zeppelin
Payerne, Switzerland, 7 December 2016 – Raphael Domjan’s stratospheric solar plane was unveiled this morning in Payerne, Switzerland, to 300 guests, including ambassadors, partners, government representatives and the world’s media.
The unique 8.5-metre-long aircraft has a wingspan of 24.8 metres, weighs 450 kilogrammes and is covered with 22m2 of solar panels. It will be the first manned solar-powered aeroplane to penetrate the stratosphere.
“This is a great day for the SolarStratos team,” said Raphael Domjan, creator of PlanetSolar, the first solar-powered boat to do a circumnavigation in 2012 and the initiator and pilot of the SolarStratos project.
“Our goal is to demonstrate that current technology offers us the possibility to achieve above and beyond what fossil fuels offer. Electric and solar vehicles are amongst the major challenges of the 21st century. Our aircraft can fly at an altitude of 25,000 metres and this opens the door to the possibility of electric and solar commercial aviation, close to space.”
Reaching the stratosphere over the past century has required large quantities of energy or helium. Today, the SolarStratos aircraft offers clean solar and electric aviation for the equivalent environmental footprint of an electric car.
“We are extremely pleased with the positive feedback and encouragement that we have received,” said Roland Loos, CEO of SolarXplorers S.A., the organisation in charge of the development and future applications of this endeavour. “Our project brings hope and makes both children and adults dream. It also opens the door to new scientific knowledge – at an affordable price, exploration and the peaceful use of our stratosphere.”
The SolarStratos team is in the final stretch ahead of the official presentation of its solar aircraft to the world. November has arrived, and this is the month when the Roll Out will take place. The event will take place on December 7, in the SolarStratos base on the Payerne airfield. By then the aircraft must be ready and the base built and decorated in order to welcome all guests and media.
The construction of the base began on September 29 by installing large concrete blocs as ballast. Then all just happened at unbelievable speed in less than a month and now the building that will host the first two-seater solar airplane in the world is well out of the ground! It remains only to be decorated before the aircraft is delivered.
Concerning the solar bird, its construction is also nearing completion. It is adorned with a beautiful white paint, which aims to ensure protection and optimum lightweightness while having a modern look. The wings are now closed and they have gone through vibration, stress and heat tests. They are currently with our partner CSEM for the installation of the photovoltaic cells. Meanwhile, the fuselage is also being finalized. Electronic tests are successful (for the engineers who read us, imagine that there are nearly 100 A which pass through 24 wires in a carbon tube of only 2 cm in diameter!); it’s time to fill the fuselage with electronics and wiring, engine, batteries, propeller, cockpit instruments, seats … Once everything is finished, the plane will be transported in a trailer to Payerne where the final assembly will be done!
Raphael and his team are on track to achieve the first major step in the writing of the SolarStratos eco-adventure. Soon, the helio-stratospheric aircraft will not only be a synthetic image, but a real airplane! We look forward December 7, and to share this historic moment!
Thank you for your support! See you soon !
Raphael and the SolarStratos team
Raphaël Domjan and the SolarStratos team are bringing their stratospheric project to life with the commencement of construction on their hangar at the Payerne airport Aeropole site in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland. This operational base for SolarStratos will house the first solar stratospheric plane. The Canton of Vaud, the city of Payerne and the Broye region are also on board in this venture and providing support for the implementation of the SolarStratos project at the Aeropole.
Within a week period, SolarStratos could get in the skin of an astronaut and of a solar-stratonaute! So many emotions in so few days!
SolarStratos in astronaut mode
The first memorable experience of the SolarStratos Club was held from August 25 to 27th in Bordeaux, France. The SolarNavigators joined Raphael’s team to live the first weightless trip of the Club, thanks to a partnership with Novespace, the company of the SolarStratos‘ patron, the French astronaut Jean-François Clervoy. Raphael, Roland Loos (new CEO of SolarStratos) and four Club members had the chance to experience a unique adventure aboard an A310 specially equipped for parabolic flights. The SolarStratos team was able to experiment 15 parabolas: one Martian, two lunar and 12 in total weightlessness (or Zero-G). An unforgettable moment of life for all! Beyond the pure joy of moving as Neil Armstrong or Claude Nicollier, Raphael was able to test medical equipment on behalf of our partner CSEM, under the supervision of Dr. Patrick Schoettker, professor at the University of Lausanne, chief doctor of anesthesiology at CHUV (Lausanne, Switzerland) and doctor of the SolarStratos mission.
We look froward for the next Zero-G experience in 2017! Perhaps will you also be part of it? Join our Club!
Inauguration of the simulator at Numerik Games festival
Barely a week after back down on land following the Zero-G experience, Raphael and his team inaugurated their 3-axis simulator at the 1st edition of the Numerik Games festival in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland. On September 2, before a crowd of guests, journalists and bystanders, Raphael presented in world premiere this piece of technology that now allows him to train to fly at very high altitudes. This simulator is unique worldwide and was built thanks to our Partners PC-Aero, DLR and Carbon Wacker. Reserved for the pilots of the mission (Raphael and Thierry Plojoux), the cockpit of the simulator will also accommodate some SolarStratos Club members (from the SolarPilot level). Having fun while supporting our eco-expedition, that’s also part of being a Club member!
A year to end in a blaze of glory
The end of the year should be stratospheric! Raphael and his team hope to showcase the aircraft by the end of the year. So keep on following us to live this presentation that will have a global impact! And thank you again to everyone for your support!
That’s it! The 3 axes simulator of SolarStratos was unveiled to the public during the first day of the Numerik Games Festival in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland, with a demonstration of Raphaël Domjan.
Digital art takes centre stage at the FestivalNumerik Games in Yverdon-les-Bains (from 2 to 4 September 2016). SolarStratos will be there to show for the first time in the world its 3-axis simulator, which will be used as a flight training tool for solar pilots! Usually reserved for the latter, the simulator will exceptionally open its cockpit to three lucky people during a competition! That’s right! 3 flight simulations are to be won during the Numerik Games! To participate, just “like” our Facebook page and leave a nice comment underneath this publication. The winners of the competition will be tagged as soon as the results are in, i.e. Friday 2 September at noon. Good luck!
Stratospheric news ! He is the keyboardist of the Rolling Stones. He played with David Gilmour, Eric Clapton and Goerge Harrison. He is co-founder of The Mother Nature Network (www.mnn.com), which is the most visited independent environmental site in the world.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are pleased to annouce Mr. Chuck Leavell as our new Patron! Welcome onboard, Chuck, and thanks for your support !
Notre pays, la Suisse, a de quoi être fière ! Les deux tours du monde effectués à l’énergie solaire sont Swiss Made ! Félicitations à Bertrand Piccard, André Borschberg et à toute l’équipe de Solar Impulse !
