France's Euro Airship Company is developing Solar Airship One, a whale-shaped aircraft that can fly around more than 25 countries in 20 days, expected to take off in 2026.
Simulation of the first flight of Solar Airship One. Video : Euro Airship
Euro Airship's team of engineers are working hard to ensure the first non-stop flight around the world without fossil fuels can be completed on schedule. Euro Airship believes its aircraft will not produce noise or emit carbon emissions because it will rely solely on sunlight and hydrogen, according to Design Boom .
Solar Airship One will be 151 m long with an expanded volume of 53,000 m3. Almost the entire surface of the vehicle will be covered with 4,800 m2 of solar film to collect sufficient light. During the day, the aircraft will use solar energy. At night, excess electricity will be stored in fuel cells that produce hydrogen through water electrolysis. To avoid the inertness problem associated with the use of helium, the aircraft will include 15 gas shells, allowing for immediate response and prediction of meteorological events.
Solar Airship One will make a nonstop journey around the world from west to east, flying close to the equator, traveling more than 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) in 20 days at an average altitude of 6,000 meters. The entire journey will take place without stopping or refueling. India, China, Mexico, the United States, Mauritania, Mali, and France are among the countries pilots will fly the plane through in 2026.
Euro Airship plans to increase the autonomy of the aircraft by ensuring that the vehicle does not require any bulky infrastructure on the ground. To help stabilize the vehicle, the company will develop a water-based ballast system and a pneumatic auxiliary system. Solar Airship One is the result of more than 10 years of research and development, along with three years of design collaboration with 100 Capgemini engineers.
Euro Airship said the team will be in constant contact with governments , international institutions and schools in the countries they fly over. The aircraft will have three pilots on board. After the round-the-world journey, the company will apply for full operating permits for the aircraft.
An Khang (According to Design Boom )
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