Meet Skydweller, a solar-powered drone that can fly continuously for up to three months without landing. Developed by US tech startup Skydweller Aero in partnership with French electronics company Thales, this innovative aircraft is designed for maritime surveillance and aims to push the boundaries of long-term flight times.
Skydweller powers itself using 17,000 individual solar cells spread across its 2,900 square-foot wing surface, generating up to 100 kilowatts of power. This energy is used to maintain flight, power onboard avionics, and charge batteries during daylight hours. The drone has a significant weight advantage over traditional aircraft, weighing only 160 times less than a Boeing 747.
The Skydweller’s quadruple-redundant flight control system and vehicle management system ensure continuous surveillance even in case of system failures. Self-healing algorithms enable the aircraft to autonomously correct itself during flight, allowing it to maintain flight continuously.
However, the drone’s reliance on solar power means its patrols must avoid areas with limited sunlight, such as polar regions during winter. Despite these limitations, Skydweller Aero plans to equip the drone with a radar surveillance system for maritime patrol operations and extend its maximum flight duration through further testing.
This breakthrough in solar-powered flight is a significant step forward for long-term surveillance monitoring, marking an exciting development in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Source: https://www.livescience.com/technology/robotics/meet-skydweller-a-solar-powered-drone-that-can-fly-for-90-days-straight-its-wider-and-160-times-lighter-than-a-boeing-747