British-built solar powered drone reaches the stratosphere

A British-built solar-powered drone with a wingspan of 35 meters that can operate in the air for 20 months has made a successful maiden voyage into the stratosphere – the second layer of Earth’s atmosphere.

Over a 24-hour period, PHASA-35 lifted off from New Mexico and soared to more than 26,000 feet, officially reaching the stratosphere, before successfully landing.

The 150kg solar electric aircraft, with a wingspan clad in solar panels, has been developed by London company BAE Systems at their factory in Warton, Lancashire.

It is powered by the sun during the day and batteries at night, allowing it to fly for more than a year in the stratosphere, lower than most satellites.

PHASA-35 can carry a payload of up to 15 kg, including cameras, sensors and communications equipment, allowing troops to talk to each other or provide internet access to rural locations during a natural disaster or emergency.

It also has the potential to be used in the delivery of communications networks, including 4G and 5G, for example for regions that currently have poor coverage.

BAE Systems say PHASA-35 will be available by the middle of the decade and will provide a “permanent and affordable alternative to satellite technology,” which is traditionally heavier.

PHASA-35 weighs 150 kg – about the same as a panda bear and a fraction of most satellites that normally weigh thousands of kg.

PHASA-35, co-developed with engineers from the Hampshire company Prismatic, will have several applications, including “ultra-long endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as security.”

“The team absolutely knocked this out of the park,” Prismatic CEO Dave Corfield said shortly after launch.

“The first stratospheric flight of PHASA-35 demonstrates that this vehicle is on track to become the go-to system for long endurance, high altitude and communications applications in the future.”

Construction of the drone in 2018 along with the release of concept images, following the successful launch of a quarter-scale model called PHASE-8 in 2017.

The full-size version of PHASA-35 made its maiden flight in February 2020, when it flew from the Woomera Test Range in South Australia.

This first flight into the stratosphere — the highest PHASA-35 ever gone and close to its maximum attainable altitude of 22,000 feet — took place June 25 and was announced by the company on Friday.

The trial, completed last month in New Mexico, allowed engineers to assess the performance of the experimental solar-electric drone

Over a 24-hour period, PHASA-35, with a wingspan of 35 meters, ascended to more than 26,000 feet and reached the stratosphere, before successfully landing

The company said: ‘It is the first in a series of planned trials to confirm system performance, support development activities and validate test points so that PHASA-35 can be made available internationally in defense and commercial markets’

PHASA-35 is a drone developed by BAE systems at their facility in Warton, Lancashire that can fly at 22,000 feet above the surface for 20 months

It flew from the White Sands Missile Range, a US Army military testing area and firing range in New Mexico.

BAE Systems said this is the ‘first in a series of trials’ planned to confirm the aircraft’s performance before it can go to market.

Engineers envision a number of core uses for the drone in areas commonly covered by low-Earth orbit satellites, such as environmental surveillance, disaster relief, border surveillance, maritime and military surveillance, and mobile internet communications.

One example is the ability to include a sensor, fly over a fragile forest for months, and constantly monitor humidity levels in the trees – predicting weeks in advance when a fire is likely to break out.

The aircraft has the potential to be used in the delivery of communications networks, including 4G and 5G, and can be used in a wide variety of applications, such as disaster relief and border surveillance, as an alternative to traditional aerial and satellite systems

BAE says the aircraft has the potential to provide a sustained and stable platform for various applications, including “ultra-long endurance intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as security”

According to Prismatic, PHASA-35 can provide services at a “fraction of the cost of satellites” and can be deployed anywhere, just like a commercial drone.

It can only launch when the wind and air conditions are right, but because it can stay in the air for more than a year, several drones can be launched at once and remain ready to deploy if needed.

Because it operates in the stratosphere, above all weather conditions such as wind and rain, it can provide stable observations of a specific area over long periods of time.

Prismatic says, “Further important advantages are simplicity of construction and ease of transportation, due to the relatively small number of structures that make up the overall assembly of the aircraft.”