A video call connected from the stratosphere topped off a recent test of an autonomous, fixed-wing aircraft, as Loon and HAPSMobile successfully put a telecommunications payload into the upper reaches of the atmosphere and used it to deliver LTE connectivity.
Video from the test shows the Sunglider, a slightly arched slice of solar panels, propellers and sleek vertical supports, taking off in darkness and gives glimpses of the vehicle as it climbs, clouds dotting the sky below. It also shows the Sunglider at height, where it spent 5 hours and 38 minutes at an altitude of 62,500 feet, with Earth’s horizon curving across the camera’s field of vision and the sun gleaming off the solar panels.
