Soaringnewheights cs

Soaring to New Heights - Innovation drives the creation of high-altitude aircraft and stratospheric “cell towers”

May 05, 2021

When it comes to flying high, AeroVironment has led the way in sustained solar-powered, high-altitude flight with projects dating back more than 40 years. Building on its pioneering innovations — Gossamer Condor, Solar Challenger, Pathfinder Plus, and Helios — AeroVironment advanced these earlier technologies to develop a solar-powered, high-altitude platform station (HAPS) named Sunglider™.

“These earlier innovations made significant contributions to the current HAPS aircraft,” said Bob Curtin, HAPS business development director. “I think it’s reasonable to say that the development of today’s HAPS aircraft started with the Gossamer Condor in 1977.”