Depressurization + gas + un lounge = an autumn newsletter from SolarStratos

R&D inMoscou

At the end of September, we spoke of the tests carried out on Raphaël with the space suit made by our partners Zvezda in Moscow. Testing a space suit isn’t an easy job and it taught us plenty. First, temperature: Raphaël experienced a simulated flight to 13,000 metres at a temperature of -55° Celsius. Even with a heating system, extremities, including the hands, suffer from the cold. Consequently, we are going to have to improve the heating system so that Raphaël’s extremities do not freeze. The second lesson we learned: it isn’t easy to move in a space suit when it is pressurised. In fact, it is even difficult to bend legs and move feet. This is a problem for a pilot who needs to be precise on the rudder bar. Fortunately, the arms have more range. Consequently, we are going to have to adapt the controls so that plane is piloted with the hands only. With SolarStratos, the true meaning of research and development emerges! Find out more in our latest StratosTime!

A new partner

We are pleased to welcome Gaznat SA as a new partner! The Vevey-based company will supply our Mercedes-Benz B 250 E gaz (loaned by our partner Group Leuba) with natural biogaz. We use this car amongst others to pull the airplane, and thanks to this partnership, Raphaël has become a 100% biogaz driver. SolarStratos’ mobility is CO2 neutral but on top of this, Gaznat tops Raphaël’s consumption in Biogaz and reinjects it into the network. We wish to thank Gaznat and all our partners for their trust and support.

 

An operational and welcoming base

Raphaël and his team have used the last weeks of summer to improve the welcome area for VIPs, partners and journalists at the SolarStratos operational base. The South-East corner of the hangar is fully dedicated to the well-being of our guests: a “home-made” bar and a lounge, under a beautiful aluminium panel with the logos of all the partners that enable SolarStratos to exist!

Trade Fair

This autumn, the Romandy Trade Fairs will publicise our eco-adventure. For example, we are preparing our exhibit at the Broyard Fair with our partner Soleol, from 17 to 26 November. Come to see for yourself!

A bientôt !

Le team SolarStratos

The hot temperatures of the summer months might be moving south, but the mercury continues to soar at the SolarStratos base, particularly for Raphael trussed up in his space suit. We paid Zvezda, our Russian partners in Moscow, a visit this month to test our space suit in a depressurised chamber. Fortunately, Raphael was luckier than poor Captain Haddock who found a mouse at the bottom of his suit (for those who remember the famous Tintin story ‘Destination Moon’)! Other than a few drops of perspiration, Raphael was able to experience the effects that he will feel in the cockpit during his record breaking flight.

SolarStratos welcomes a key team member to the design group this month: Thomas Sandmann is an aeronautical engineer and becomes SolarStratos’ chief engineer for airworthiness and the reference person for the Federal Office of Civil Aviation. His contribution will allow us to reach the stratosphere with maximum security!

In parallel to Thomas’ studies, the technical team initiated its optimisation work on the aircraft this month, including on the tail and the rudders. The aim is to stabilise the aircraft and lighten the carbon structure to be able to fly two up. It is not an easy matter, but it will take a lot to discourage our technicians and engineers!

Beyond its technical aspects, SolarStratos is also an important communication tool for the promotion of renewable energies. To this end, Raphael and the team host events at the Payerne base and participate in others. This month saw the Leuba Group test hybrid cars on the runway in front of the SolarStratos hangar. Sixty people, including Raphael, put the hybrid and electric vehicles through their paces, overlooked by the solar plane. In mid-September, Raphael shared his passion for aviation by jumping from a helicopter with Geraldine Fasnacht during the 61st edition of the Gordon Bennett, the oldest aeronautical competition in the world. What a sight to see the SolarStratos logo emblazoned across his parachute amid the giant gas-powered balloons.

We also had the opportunity to exhibit a model of the solar aircraft at Geneva Airport. From 11-14 September, thousands of passengers saw the mini-SolarStratos, giving awareness of our eco-adventure a huge boost.

A busy month as you can see!

Thank you all for your loyalty. Until next month and our next newsletter!

The SolarStratos team.

Copyright images Gordon Bennett 2017 © Yves Erismann

The summer holidays are over and the entire team at SolarStratos is back at work. We hope that you enjoyed the warm months and that your batteries are recharged. Ours are! A good thing given how busy our next chapter promises to be! However, before we tell you all about this, let’s recap what happened over the past few months…

After crossing the Atlantic Ocean towards and then back from Canada, our solar bird is now back to its roots in Payerne; needless to say that we celebrated its homecoming with our friends and partners in due style!

Further afield, Raphael and Roland’s visit to the Swiss Pavilion at Expo 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan, provided an exciting highlight. SolarStratos played a key role in the Swiss House, and was presented to the public through a movie. We also had the great opportunity to introduce our mission To the Edge of Space directly to the president of the Confederation, Doris Leuthard, who engaged with the eco-explorers during her visit to the Pavilion.

Now that we have achieved our summer objectives, it is time for our team to move on to the next phase of optimisation of the aircraft. Indeed, our first test flights highlighted a few updates that need to be completed. Our technical team will definitely be busy over the next few weeks.

In parallel Raphaël will focus on training in the simulator ahead of the altitude record we hope to achieve over the winter. Will we succeed in beating Bertrand Piccard and SolarImpulse’ altitude record and fly above 10,000 meters ?

Stay tuned to find it out; follow us on the social networks and on our website.

A bientôt from the SolarStratos team!

 

SolarStratos’ first foreign trip to Quebec in Canada in June was declared a huge success!

During the first half of the trip, the aircraft was at the heart of the Northern Solar Festival in Montreal and the star attraction for thousands of visitors! To celebrate the closing of this event, the Swiss Consulate organised a Swiss evening with röstis, raclette and fondue in the land of reindeer. Ah, Switzerland! We love it and we love its flavours!

During the second half of the trip, between the 19 and 22 June, the Metropolis World Congress gathered 150 mayors from the world’s largest cities at a conference. SolarStratos was due to conduct a first historic flight at this event, but was grounded due to bad weather. Instead Raphael took the opportunity to deliver an impressive and engaging lecture to close the event.

As the month of June comes to a close, the aircraft is somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean tucked away in its container. When it arrives in Europe in mid-July, it will be returned to its cradle in Hurlach, Germany, for some work. As for the SolarStratos team, they are concentrating on the next step which will be to reach 10,000 metres of altitude by the end of 2017.

SolarStratos may be back in Europe, but the team still has a presence in Central Asia, at the International Expo’s Swiss pavilion in Astana, Kazakhstan, where visitors can learn about our mission at the edge of space until the 10 September.

Finally, we would like to extend a warm welcome to our new partners Fischer Connectors and Presence Switzerland!

Headquartered in St-Prex, Fischer Connectors, a Swiss multinational specializing in high-reliability and high-quality connectivity, becomes our Official Partner! Fischer Connectors will be in charge of developing specific lightweight and resistant solutions to extreme conditions for our solar airplane, allowing us to connect our various onboard cameras!

Presence Switzerland, the branch of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs tasked with promoting Switzerland globally, comes onboard as our new institutional partner.

Thank you very much to both partners for your trust and support!

More good news, particularly on the topic of partnerships, will be announced in August, but first it is holiday time. If you are planning a break, enjoy it! And don’t forget to stay posted on our news through our social networks.

With solar best wishes,
Raphael and the SolarStratos team

 

There is no respite for the SolarStratos team! There is barely time to savour the success of their maiden flight before they move on to the next phase of the operation!

The next step takes the team to Canada in June where SolarStratos will be the guest of honour at the Festival Nordique du Quebec in Montreal from the 15-22 June. During the second half of the event, from 19-22 June, 130 mayors from the largest cities in the world will gather in Montreal for the Metropolis Congress. For a few intense days, Raphael will give lectures and the public will have an opportunity to admire the plane, based near the Old Port. The event will culminate in an exhibition flight over the St Lawrence River.

Wondering how the aircraft is travelling to Canada?

The plane was dismantled on 19 May and stored in its trailer, which was then placed in a 40ft container. It left on the month-long voyage by ship from Basel, via Rotterdam and is due to arrive in Canada in mid-June. This solution not only makes it possible to optimise the transport costs and the carbon footprint, but also to take the plane anywhere in the world – even to the heart of a city.

We are looking forward to sharing our solar bird with our neighbours across the Atlantic and of course we have you to thank you for it. Without the unwavering support of our Club members (have you joined?) and above all, our partners, none of this would be possible.

We would like to take advantage of this newsletter to welcome our new Official Suppliers: OPAN concept, Leuba Group and Henniez. Thank you for believing in SolarStratos!

Thanks to all our partners, we are making the helio-stratospheric dream come true.

Until next month!

Raphael and the SolarStratos Team

 

What an incredible adventure! Beads of perspiration gathered on our brows and a cold sweat ran down our backs, but after several weeks of hard work, our labour finally paid off! We got there! SolarStratos flies!

On Friday, the 5th of May 2017, our test pilot Damian Hischier took command of the aircraft. The taxiing tests on the tarmac and the runway were conclusive. The Federal Office of Civil Aviation issued our ‘permit to fly’. We were ready. All that remained was for SolarStratos to take off. No small feat for a prototype!

Imagine for just a moment the emotion when Damian lined up ready for take-off. The whole team was willing it to go well. The plane was lined up, there was no wind. Damian engaged the full power of the electric motors and the plane started to move forward. It gathered speed, faster and faster, (as did our heartrates!) and then all of a sudden, the wheels left the ground. The ultimate adrenalin rush was swiftly followed by a fleeting moment of disbelief before we all exploded with joy!

“We did it!” exclaimed Raphael, feeling the same sensations as seven years ago when PlanetSolar was launched in north Germany. At these moments, the emotions eclipse any of the tough times. Pride and joy merge with memories of all the sacrifices that led to this historic moment on the SolarStratos journey.

With this step completed, we can look forward to the next adventures with peace of mind. Of course, the road to flying at very high altitude is long, but we are confident of getting there. The intention is to get there step by step with confidence.

Our current objective is for Raphael and his co-pilot, Thierry Plojoux, to master SolarStratos so that we can demonstrate the aircraft’s flight capabilities at a major event in Quebec in June.

We will tell you more about this soon, but in the meantime, stay up to date on our progress via our social media networks or through our monthly newsletter. And don’t forget this eco-adventure belongs to you too! Don’t hesitate to sign up to our Club if you haven’t already, and spread the word! Together we will reach the edge of Space powered by solar-energy.

Thank you for your support and see you in a month! We wish you a good start to Spring.

Raphael and the SolarStratos team

 

We are almost there!

After many long months of hard work and intense round trips between Hurlach in Germany – where SolarStratos was built – the CSEM in Neuchatel and Payerne, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The aircraft will soon be ready to deploy its solar-powered wings!

We are just weeks away from the first round of test flights, which we hope will take place in March.

Before handing SolarStratos over to test pilot, Klaus Plasa, however, there is still plenty to do. The final photovoltaic components need to be installed on the wings and the stabilisers at the rear of the aircraft, close to the rudder. Once this phase is complete, the wings will be transported from Neuchatel to Payerne to be attached to the fuselage.

It is a bit like LEGO, but with zero margin for error. The slightest damage, particularly to the carbon fibre structure, could have serious consequences on the continuation of the mission. Months would be lost trying to repair what has taken a long time to create. Concentration and precision are crucial if we want to see SolarStratos fly powered by the sun.

Dear friends, if the ground tests are conclusive and if we obtain the final authorisations from the Federal Office of Civil Aviation, and if the weather permits, then SolarStratos will take a major new step forward. We hope to provide you with beautiful images of this historic moment in next month’s newsletter. Cross your fingers for us!

Stay up to date with our news on social media and if you would like to participate more tangibly in our mission to fly on the edge of Space, then we invite you to join our Club.

See you soon!

Raphael and the SolarStratos Team

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

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