Skydweller outlines vision for perpetual, autonomous solar flight
The solar-powered aircraft can perform long-duration missions more efficiently and cost-effectively than traditional aircraft fleets.
At the Farnborough International Airshow last week, Skydweller Aero revealed a significant milestone: the successful completion of the first autonomous flight by a large-scale solar-powered aircraft in the United States.
This achievement marks a step towards the company's ambitious goal of continuous around-the-world flight, potentially revolutionising long-duration aerial missions.
Barry Matsumori, President and Chief Operating Officer of Skydweller Aero, summarised the company's ambitious vision:
"We're talking about going around the world non-stop, solar, so all green, and doing it uncrewed, unmanned, autonomously. Has anyone done that, all that combination of capabilities? The answer is no, not yet."
Envisioning a new type of “green” aircraft
The Skydweller aircraft has a huge 236-foot wingspan surpassing that of a Boeing 747. Weighing approximately 5,500 pounds and capable of carrying payloads up to 800 pounds, this solar-powered giant is designed to stay aloft for unprecedented periods of time.
"Our entire top surface is filled with solar cells," explained Matsumori. "They generate about 200,000 watts of power, and with that, we're able to not only provide power for the payloads but, more importantly, it's able to lift a lot of payloads."
In a separate media statement, the company's CEO, Robert Miller, stressed the transformative potential of their technology: "This is a true, world-changing first in the aerospace industry. Our fleet of uncrewed aircraft will enable a multitude of long-duration missions that support national security and non-terrestrial communications with revolutionary cost savings."
Enabling multiple applications
At Farnborough, the company outlined several ways in which the aircraft could be used:
Maritime security: Surveilling naval activity in contested waters and detecting drug smugglers and pirates at sea.
Environmental monitoring: Tracking wildlife migration and combating poaching in remote areas.
Telecommunications: Serving as high-altitude mobile base stations for improved connectivity in underserved regions.
Disaster response: Offering persistent monitoring and communication capabilities during natural disasters.
Matsumori highlighted the aircraft's economic advantages:
Skydwellers can accomplish missions with a single aircraft that has historically required a fleet of conventional aircraft, flight crews, and maintenance personnel. Moreover, solar-powered Skydwellers are 10 to 100 times less expensive to operate than conventional aircraft for long-duration missions.
Moreover, the environmental impact is significant. "Green matters," Matsumori stressed. "The ability to do it and be sustainable, protect the environment, and have this as part of what people do in order to fly is an important aspect of what we're doing."
Heralding a new future
The Skydweller aircraft's autonomous capabilities add another layer of innovation. Matsumori explained:
"We have developed our own autonomous flight regime. So that had no remote pilot. It had no pilot on board. It flew by itself, takeoff from landing, as well as cruising."
The idea of solar-powered flight is starting to gain traction; Skydweller was recently featured in the Wall Street Journal, which outlined how battery technology had now advanced to the point where projects like Skydweller are now feasible.
Another company developing solar aircraft is Electra. Better known for its nine-seat hybrid-electric eSTOL, Electra has tested out an autonomous solar plane called Dawn One.
As companies like Skydweller and Electra continue to innovate, we may be witnessing the dawn of a new era in flight, one that harnesses the power of the sun to achieve unprecedented endurance and efficiency.