Swiss solar plane claims altitude record

SolarStratos, a Swiss solar-powered aircraft, has completed the highest-ever solar-electric flight, its team claims. Pilot Raphaël Domjan reached an altitude of 9,521 metres on Tuesday above Switzerland. The previous record was held by Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard and the Solar Impulse plane (9,235m). +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The flight, which lasted 5 hours and 9 minutes, departed from Sion airport in southern Switzerland. The HB-SXA experimental aircraft succeeded in its world altitude record attempt powered solely by solar energy, also taking advantage of the natural thermals provided by the Valais topography, according to a press release on Wednesday. This 9,521-metre mark must still be validated by the Fédération Internationale d'Aviation (FAI). "This achievement marks a major milestone on the path toward reaching the stratosphere using only solar power — and already fulfils the mission’s goal: to capture imaginations with emblematic ...