DLR's solar-powered stratospheric aircraft completes first flight

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has completed the first flight of its HAP Alpha unmanned high-altitude platform. The stratosphere-capable aircraft took off from the DLR test center in Cochstedt on September 2 and stayed aloft for approximately 70 minutes, reaching an altitude of up to 180 meters above ground. During the flight, various maneuvers and flight characteristics were tested.

The HAP Alpha has a wingspan of 27 meters but weighs only 138 kilograms. The purely solar-powered platform is designed for flight altitudes of up to 20 kilometers. In the future, it is intended to test technologies and systems for Earth observation in the lower stratosphere. Further low-altitude tests are planned before the first high-altitude flights.