A parachutist made history yesterday by making the first jump from a solar-powered aircraft. Swiss explorer Raphael Domjan jumped from the prototype at height of 1,520 metres over western Switzerland.
“Today there were many firsts but the most important is, this is the first time ever that someone jumped from an electric aircraft. And this is something that is changing the future for this sport for sky divers.”
ALSO READ
This Bicycle Path Can Glow in the Dark, is Eco-Friendly! [Pictures]
Jumping from a prototype all sorts of things could have gone wrong but good thing the test flight took place in good weather.
According to Sky News, the Solar Stratos project created the two-seater plane. The purpose of the project is to demonstrate that sky-diving can be done without producing greenhouse gases. They want to promote renewable energy.
Raphael Domjan had to co-pilot the aircraft before he jumped. The Swiss organizers said the parachutist reached a speed of 150 kilometers per hour during his jump and landed near the project base in Payerne.
“It was the first time we did a solar skydive, I climbed with the energy coming from the solar cells of the plane,” said the eco-explorer.
This is just the beginning of Solar Stratos as the project aims to create light-weight solar aircraft that can reach the stratosphere. As the founder of Solar Stratos, Raphael Domjan intends to preserve the climate.
ALSO READ
A Forgotten Legend: Farzana Jabeen is the First Pakistani Woman to Climb 6000 Meters Mountain Peak
In 2022, Solar Stratos aims to carry out a flight with an altitude of 20,000 meters, seeking to reach the stratosphere. Again this will be exclusively powered by solar energy, as well.
Back in September 2010 and May 2012 Raphael Domjan initiated and completed the first circumnavigation of the globe powered by solar energy aboard the catamaran MS Tûranor PlanetSolar.
