Social Media Influencer “Papa Mississippi” is a proud Mississippian.
He is so happy that Skydweller Aero flies from Stennis International Airport in Kiln that he made this video.
Enjoy!
OKLAHOMA CITY | 1 October 2024 – Skydweller Aero has successfully completed the uncrewed autonomous flight test campaign of its Skydweller Unmanned Aerial System. A series of uncrewed flight tests – with the two longest being 16 hours and 22 ½ hours – were launched from the company’s facility at Stennis International Airport in Kiln, Mississippi.
This campaign is one more step towards bringing extreme flight endurance to the world, demonstrates the feasibility of remaining airborne for weeks to months using solar energy and batteries, and is another significant milestone in the development of the Skydweller aircraft and its high reliability autonomous vehicle management system.
This campaign was initiated under a Joint Concept Technology Demonstration (JCTD) by the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research & Engineering (OUSD R&E) and sustained by a Cooperative Research & Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) to evaluate Autonomous Maritime Patrol Aircraft (AMPA).
Dr. Robert Miller, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Skydweller Aero, said: “This flight test campaign is an important achievement and validates our business vision, marking a new era in autonomous aviation. Skydweller Aero is redefining what is possible in the aerospace industry, and the data gathered that validates our models for multi-day fights is a testament to our team’s dedication and innovation. We are excited to continue pushing the boundaries of what uncrewed solar-powered aircraft can achieve and will continue on with our mission to bring perpetual flight to the world.”
Barry Matsumori, President & Chief Operating Officer of Skydweller Aero, said: “We have accomplished a major milestone toward demonstrating the feasibility of perpetual flight by leveraging the trillions of dollars in global research and development investment in solar energy, battery storage, and the handing and manufacturing of extremely strong, ultra lightweight carbon fiber assemblies. As these subsystems improve, we will continue to leverage them for the benefit of our customers.”
Highlights of the Flight:
- Uncrewed Autonomous Operation: At high operation tempo, the Skydweller aircraft conducted a series of long endurance flight tests demonstrating potential to perform extreme endurance missions.
- Solar-Powered Flight: Powered by solar energy, the aircraft delivers zero carbon emissions with ultra-quiet operations.
- High Reliability Autonomous Systems: The flight demonstrated uncrewed operation of Skydweller’s fully redundant autonomous systems and beyond-line-of-sight operations & communication.
About Skydweller Aero Inc.
Skydweller Aero Inc. is a pioneering transatlantic aerospace company developing a fleet of the world’s largest solar powered uncrewed aircraft capable of performing extreme endurance flights with heavy, powerful payloads. Skydweller autonomous all carbon fiber aircraft have a wingspan greater than a 747 and weigh about the same as a Ford F-150. Skydweller’s uncrewed aircraft will be used for ultra-long duration missions such as providing exclusive economic zone enforcement, monitoring naval activity, and detecting drug smugglers and pirates at sea. Skydwellers accomplish these missions with zero carbon footprint. Skydweller Aero Inc., backed by venture and private capital, has World and US headquarters in Oklahoma City and European offices headquartered in Spain. http://www.skydweller.aero
NOTE – A Digital Media Room with additional information, hi-res photos & videos is available here: Media Room
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Our friends and neighbors at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center have spotlighted our relationship on their social media channels:
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/FYcpC47Rs9zwZmtA/
✖️ X: https://x.com/NASAStennis/status/1838935871711494493
🎥 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NASAStennis/community
The Skydweller aircraft uses Stennis’s airspace when 🛫 climbing to and descending 🛬 from higher altitudes when flying between Stennis International Airport and its offshore destinations.
A big thank you to NASA for the shoutout, and for supporting Skydweller’s innovative aerospace technology!
As the world’s largest solar-powered aircraft looks to set off on its most ambitious mission to date – a trip to circumnavigate the globe – Aerospace Global News caught up with Robert Miller PhD, CEO and co-founder of Skydweller Aero, to find out more about the impetus behind the initiative.
Read the complete article at – Ultimate endurance: achieving solar-powered perpetual flight (aerospaceglobalnews.com)
Nik Coleman of Coleman Television produces “History’s Greatest Aircraft,” a series that looks at some of the most impressive technical marvels of engineering to have ever taken to the sky. Each episode delves into a different aircraft to analyze its service history and recount some of its most legendary stories.
Skydweller Aero is honored to have caught the attention of this award winning program’s creator during the 2024 Farnborough Air Show, and to share our story with him and his audience.
Seeing Skydweller in flight for the first time, some southern Mississippi folks enjoying themselves on the bayou made this video.
Even without a video, seeing Skydweller in flight for the first time is likely something they will never forget.
Skydweller is the world’s largest uncrewed, all-carbon fiber aircraft with a wingspan greater than a 747 and weigh about the same as a Ford F-150, capable of performing extreme endurance flights with heavy, powerful payloads. Skydwellers will be used for ultra-long duration missions such as providing exclusive economic zone enforcement, monitoring naval activity, and detecting drug smugglers and pirates at sea, and will accomplish these missions with zero carbon footprint.
Vetter Formerly Served as the Company’s Chief Engineer
20 August 2024 – Skydweller Aero, Inc. is excited to announce Travis Vetter, its Chief Engineer, has been appointed Chief Technology Officer (CTO). In his new position, Travis will spearhead Skydweller’s strategic utilization of innovative technologies to maintain competitiveness and achieve the company’s objectives.
“Travis brings a wealth of experience and a forward-thinking approach to technology that perfectly aligns with our mission to innovate and lead the autonomous solar aircraft industry. His leadership will play a pivotal role in advancing our technological roadmap, improving our product offerings, and ensuring our position as a frontrunner in industry advancements,” said Dr. Robert Miller, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Skydweller Aero. “I am confident that under his guidance, our technology team will continue to push boundaries, deliver exceptional value to our customers and partners.”
Travis, a longstanding member of Skydweller’s leadership team, previously served as a Chief Engineer for Special Programs at Northrop Grumman. In this role, he provided technical guidance to hundreds of engineers and oversaw millions of dollars in annual revenue. Before that, Travis held key technical positions at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where he led various programs including the Tern program as the Air Vehicle, VMS, and Flight Controls lead, as well as serving as the Guidance Navigation & Control IPT Special Projects lead and Aeroelastic Controls lead for undisclosed projects.
Travis brings extensive expertise in aircraft design, UAV flight control, aeroelastic systems control, vehicle management systems, and mission systems integration. He holds two Bachelor’s degrees and a Master’s degree in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering from the University of California.
Complete article here: Skydweller outlines vision for perpetual, autonomous solar flight (simpliflying.com)
At the Farnborough International Airshow last week, Skydweller Aero revealed a significant milestone: the successful completion of the first autonomous flight by a large-scale solar-powered aircraft in the United States.
This achievement marks a step towards the company’s ambitious goal of continuous around-the-world flight, potentially revolutionising long-duration aerial missions.
Barry Matsumori, President and Chief Operating Officer of Skydweller Aero, summarised the company’s ambitious vision:
“We’re talking about going around the world non-stop, solar, so all green, and doing it uncrewed, unmanned, autonomously. Has anyone done that, all that combination of capabilities? The answer is no, not yet.”
Solar-powered aircraft pursues nonstop flight around the world
Farnborough Air Show 2024 – Day Three (aerosociety.com)
Oklahoma City-based Skydweller Aero, operator of the largest solar aircraft, is hoping to fly around the world nonstop, with no fuel, and no remote pilot. At a briefing on the third day of the air show, Skydweller President and COO, Barry Matusmori who is an ex-SpaceX exec, announced that after its aircraft – which has a wingspan larger than a Boeing 747 – completed the first entirely autonomous solar-powered flight, including take-off, flying and landing, in April, and has flown continuously for a maximum of five days and nights within the US, it is now seeking to complete a far longer mission to circumnavigate the globe. Matusmori said a route and date would be announced soon, however, the mission would validate the technology’s goal of staying aloft for 90 days or more.
The aircraft is designed to support several long-duration missions that have previously required a fleet of conventional aircraft, such as ISR in conflict zones, surveilling naval activity in contested waters, wildfire monitoring, and even border control. “Think of it as a very high-altitude base station that isn’t sitting on the ground, but sitting up in the air,” Matusmori said at the briefing. Furthermore, because it will be able to complete long stints without being refuelled, and instead being powered by solar cells that generate about 200,000 watts of electricity, the company claims the technology will be up to 100 times less expensive than conventional aircraft and will leave zero carbon footprint.
“The thing that we want to emphasise is that green matters, and the ability to be sustainable and protect the environment is an important aspect of what we’re doing,” said Matusmori. “If we can help push the notion that you can get to all parts of the Earth with a solar power plane, that’s a very big deal.”
The company was founded in 2017 and invested in by Leonardo. In 2019, Skydweller bought Solar Impulse 2 (SI2), an aircraft that completed the longest continuous solar-powered flight to date. However, all that remains from SI2 is its airframe – everything else has changed.
Matsumori explained that the unique part of Skydweller’s goal is that, while these types of missions have been completed by other companies before, whether flying an uncrewed, solar-powered, or completely unrefuelled aircraft, no one has accomplished all of those capabilities at once. Matsumori added: “The challenge is to put it all together and make it work so that it can fly continuously around the world. But that is what we are going to accomplish.”
Complete article here: Skydweller on mission to fly uncrewed solar aircraft autonomously nonstop around the world – Futurride
Skydweller Aero landed at the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow this week with an update on its progress toward its established goal of flying its uncrewed solar aircraft autonomously nonstop around the world. It exhibited with Kallman Worldwide, Inc. in its USA Pavilion, and President & COO Barry Matusmori presented on the company’s journey, the aircraft’s capabilities, and an update on aircraft flight operations. Before joining Skydweller, Matusmori was the COO of Impulse Space and had executive leadership roles at SpaceX and Virgin Orbit.
Others have achieved elements of the company’s goal of autonomous, nonstop solar power around the world flight, “but no one has ever even attempted what we intend to do,” posted Greg Caires, Communications Director for Skydweller Aero, on LinkedIn. He cited Lucky Lady II, a U.S. Air Force Boeing B-50 Superfortress that became the first airplane to circle the world nonstop in 1949, Scaled Composites’ Voyager, Virgin Atlantic’s GlobalFlyer, and even Solar Impulse 2 that Skydweller purchased in 2019.