Solar-Powered UAV Can Remain on Station Indefinitely

The legendary Greek king Odysseus went on a 10-year Odyssey to return to Ithaca after the Trojan War. Aurora Flight Sciences evokes this preeminent figure in Western literature with a solar-powered UAV that can effectively fly indefinitely.

The modern Odysseusis an ultra-long endurance, high-altitude platform with a payload capacity of 55 lbs – supposedly the highest in its class – and 250 Watts of continuous power. Like most solar-powered aircraft, Odysseus sports a mammoth wingspan (243 feet) and endurance measured in months.

“Odysseus offers persistence like no other solar aircraft of its kind, which is why it is such a capable and necessary platform for researchers. Odysseus will indeed change the world,” said Aurora President and CEO John Langford.

Odysseus was born from the Daedalus Project, which undertook a 72-mile sojourn from Crete to Santorini back in 1988. The folks involved in Daedalus later founded Aurora.

And again, the key word is indefinite.

“Odysseus can persistently and autonomously remain on station. This enables communication and data gathering over a specific location,” notes Aurora in its press release.

Read more here: http://www.aurora.aero/2018/11/14/aurora-flight-sciences-reveals-solar-powered-autonomous-aircraft-odysseus/