Originally published on August 26, 2013<br /><br />Aircraft designer Titan Aerospace unveiled last week its Solara 50 and 60 unmanned aircrafts, the world's first atmospheric satellites powered by the sun with a mission range of over 4 million kilometres.<br /><br />An atmospheric satellite is a drone that can conduct most of the operations of an orbital satellite, but is much cheaper and more versatile. <br /><br />Among the applications of a Solara aircraft there are disaster recovery, weather monitoring, communications relay, oceanographic research and earth imaging.<br /><br />According to reports, Solara 50 and 60 can be launched at night using power from internal battery banks. <br /><br />When the sun rises, the solar panels covering the crafts' wings and tails, store enough energy to allow them ascend to a position of 20 km above the sea level and to stay aloft continuously for five years, without ever having to land and refuel. <br /><br />The aircrafts will operate in an atmospheric sweet spot known as the tropopause where winds are generally less than 5 knots.<br /><br />Despite its massive dimensions, Solara 50 only weighs about 160 kg, and can carry a payload of 32 kg. According to reports, differently from satellites, it is possible to get the payload back at the end of its five years endurance. <br /><br />As for the speed, Solara 50 can travel at 104 kilometres an hour (about 64 MPH).<br /><br />According to reports, smaller versions of Solara have already flown, and Titan Aerospace is planning to start selling operational systems in less than a year which opens up possibilities like regional internet or a version of Google Maps with real-time images. <br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world.<br /><br />For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:<br />https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS<br /><br />Subscribe to stay updated on all the top storie
