Aurora Odysseus
Solar HALE drone designed for months-long stratospheric flight.
The Odysseus, a solar-powered High-Altitude Long Endurance drone from Aurora Flight Sciences, was announced in November 2018. Designed to fly above 65,000 feet for up to three months at latitudes within 20°, it could serve as an atmospheric research platform or a military pseudo-satellite for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Its 74.1-meter carbon fiber wingspan, built with fiberglass upper skins and plastic film undersides, supports a bendable structure with three tails and six propellers; roll control is managed by the outboard tails. The aircraft weighs less than an 880 kg Smart Car, carries a 25 kg payload with 250 watts of power, and uses low-risk lithium polymer batteries and gallium arsenide thin-film solar cells. Initial test flights were planned to run on batteries alone. A first flight was scheduled for April 2019 in Puerto Rico, with a subsequent mission to investigate ozone depletion over the US Midwest that summer. By July 2019, that first flight was indefinitely delayed. The Odysseus competes with the Airbus Zephyr, a BAE Systems-Prismatic Ltd UAV, and an AeroVironment-SoftBank telecommunications UAV.
Quick Facts
- Aircraft Type
- HALE UAV
- National Origin
- United States
- Manufacturer
- Aurora Flight Sciences
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Aurora Flight Sciences announced the Odysseus in November 2018. In spring 2019, the company planned to fly the solar- and battery-powered drone to study the Earth's atmosphere or serve as a military pseudo-satellite. The aircraft's 74.1-meter carbon fiber wing was designed to weigh less than a Smart Car. It featured a bendable wing with fiberglass upper skin panels and plastic film undersides, three tails, and six propellers, with roll controlled by the outboard tails. The drone used available, low-risk lithium polymer batteries and gallium arsenide thin-film solar cells; first test flights were to be powered by batteries only. It was designed to stay day and night above 65,000 feet for up to three months at latitudes up to 20°. First flight was planned for April 2019 in Puerto Rico, before investigating ozone depletion in the summer over the US Midwest. Its first flight was indefinitely delayed by July 2019.
Reader's Guide
The Odysseus was positioned to compete with several other high-altitude pseudo-satellite programs, including the Airbus Zephyr (ordered by the UK Ministry of Defence and visited by the U.S. Army Futures Command), the BAE Systems-Prismatic Ltd UAV, and the AeroVironment-SoftBank telecommunications UAV. Its design emphasized low-risk, commercially available components such as lithium polymer batteries and gallium arsenide thin-film solar cells, aiming for endurance of several months. The indefinite delay of its first flight in July 2019 left the program's timeline uncertain. The Odysseus represented an attempt to provide persistent, solar-powered stratospheric presence for both scientific and military applications, though it never achieved operational status as of the available information.
Did You Know?
- The Odysseus has a wingspan of 74.1 meters (243 feet).
- It was designed to carry a 25 kg payload with 250W of power.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Aurora Odysseus?
The Odysseus is a solar-powered High-Altitude Long Endurance drone developed by Aurora Flight Sciences and unveiled in November 2018. It is engineered to loiter in the stratosphere for months at a time, operating above 65,000 feet.
What are the Odysseus's key specifications?
The aircraft features a 74.1-meter carbon fiber wingspan, weighs under 880 kg, and can carry a 25 kg payload with 250 watts of power. It is designed to remain airborne for several months while flying at latitudes within 20 degrees of the equator.
What is the Odysseus designed to do?
It was conceived as either an atmospheric research platform or a military pseudo-satellite for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. Its months-long endurance at high altitude makes it a candidate for persistent observation tasks.
How does the Odysseus maintain flight and control?
The drone draws power from solar cells to drive six propellers, keeping it aloft in the stratosphere for extended periods. Its bendable airframe uses three tails for roll control, with the outboard tails specifically managing that axis.
What makes the Odysseus's airframe design distinctive?
The wings combine fiberglass upper skins with plastic film undersides over a carbon fiber structure, creating a flexible, bendable design. This approach keeps the aircraft under 880 kg while supporting a massive 74.1-meter span.
More in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles by Country 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced