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Sun-powered aircraft designs
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1983
Year
EngineeringEnergy EfficiencyEnergy ConversionAerospace SystemPhotovoltaicsSolar Test BedSolar ChallengerAircraft Design ProcessSolar Thermal EnergySolar Energy UtilisationElectrical EngineeringSolar PowerSolar Powered AircraftPropulsionAerospace Propulsion SystemsSun-powered Aircraft DesignsAerospace EngineeringBuilding-integrated PhotovoltaicsAerodynamicsGossamer PenguinAerospace Propulsion
The program used the lightweight Gossamer Penguin and the larger Solar Challenger, a 14.3‑m span aircraft built with Kevlar, Nomex honeycomb, foam ribs, and Mylar skin, to demonstrate solar‑powered flight, with the Challenger’s 54.9‑kg airframe and 1400‑watt propulsion enabling sustained climbs. The aircraft achieved 2.6‑km flights, 115‑minute endurance, and a maximum climb of 1.0 m/s, reaching 1,070 m using thermals during winter 1980‑1981.
Two piloted aircraft have been developed and flown powered solely by photovoltaic cells in a program sponsored by the DuPont Company. The 30.8-kg (68-lb), 21.6-m (71-ft) span, Gossamer Penguin was used as a solar test bed, making a 2.6-km (1.6-mile) flight in August 1980. The 88.1-kg (194-lb), 14.3-m (47-ft) span Solar Challenger was developed for long flights in normal turbulence. Stressed to +9 G, it utilizes Kevlar, Nomex honeycomb-graphite sandwich wall tubes, expanded polystyrene foam ribs, and Mylar skin. With a 54.9-kg (121-lb) airframe, 33.1-kg (73-lb) propulsion system, and a 45.4-kg (100-lb) pilot, it flies on 1400 watts. In summer, the projected maximum climb is 1.0 m/s (200 ft/min) at 9,150 m (30,000 ft). Sixty purely solar-powered flights were made during winter 1980-1981. Using thermals, 1,070 m (3,500 ft) was reached with 115-minute duration.