ISAE-SUPAERO and H3 Dynamics Develop a Zero-emission Pilotless Aircraft to Cross the Atlantic Ocean
23.11.2020 14:00:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
ISAE-SUPAERO:
Extracting energy for ultra-long range flights
Since the pioneering work of Lord Rayleigh in 1883, it has been observed that some birds such as Albatrosses can achieve outstanding flight durations and ranges by using wind gradients over flat surfaces. More recently, two Ph.D. programs conducted at ISAE-SUPAERO have provided new insights into the physical mechanism which consists of extracting energy from wind gradients with the objective of transferring the strategy onto fixed-wing drones. A potential range gain of 40% for a given drone has been identified and this can be achieved by applying the flight strategies inspired from Albatrosses and other natural flyers.
The ambition of the ‘Drone Mermoz’ project is to combine different sources of energy in order to achieve a long-range flight with a 100% electrically powered drone. The challenge will consist of following the historical route taken by Jean Mermoz in 1930 between Dakar (Senegal) and Natal (Brazil). The total distance is about 3000 kilometers which proves impossible with a conventional battery-based electric drone.
The key technology to achieving such a long-range flight is based on fuel cells supplied by H3 Dynamics. Because fuel cells produce electricity from Hydrogen and only reject water into the atmosphere, Drone Mermoz will be a collaborative effort between H3 Dynamics and ISAE-SUPAERO to design, manufacture and fly the first 100% green drone to achieve such long distances. Using the best aircraft design strategies available, ISAE-SUPAERO will endeavour to design an optimized drone with a total mass of less than 25 kg to make an attempt at the record in 2021.
ISAE-SUPAERO’s commitment towards sustainable development
The ‘Drone Mermoz’ initiative is in line with ISAE-SUPAERO’s investment in innovative aeronautical and space technologies in a sustainable development perspective.
ISAE-SUPAERO is well aware of the environmental issues such as climate change and energy transition. It has embarked on a mission to raise awareness and the direction of research at ISAE-SUPAERO puts in place environment-conscious research programs thanks to technological innovations and eco-design of cleaner aircrafts.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201123005792/en/
Contact information
Leïla Colaud
leila.c@oxygen-rp.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Grindr Nominates Three New Directors to Its Board of Directors1.5.2026 00:16:00 EEST | Press release
Grindr Inc. (NYSE: GRND), the Global Gayborhood in Your Pocket™, today announced the nomination of Rob Solomon, Lisa Gersh, and Fadi Hanna to stand for election to its Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders on June 2, 2026. Rob Solomon is a deeply seasoned technology CEO and operator in consumer internet and marketplaces. He has held CEO and COO roles at scaled platforms including GoFundMe, Groupon, and Kayak-predecessor SideStep, and is currently CEO of leading electric aviation company H55. Lisa Gersh is a CEO and long-tenured public company director with deep experience across consumer brands, media, and commerce. She has served on the Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) board since 2010 and has led businesses including Oxygen Media, GOOP, and Alexander Wang. Fadi Hanna is Chief Risk Officer at Bloomberg L.P., overseeing enterprise risk across the organization. He previously worked at J.P. Morgan and has served on the board of Immigration Equality. “Over the last few years, we bu
The Empire State Building Celebrates 95 Years as the ‘World’s Most Famous Building’30.4.2026 23:42:00 EEST | Press release
The Empire State Building (ESB), the “World’s Most Famous Building,” will celebrate its 95th anniversary on May 1, 2026, with new offers at the Empire State Building Observation Deck, a special birthday tower lighting display, and a slate of celebrations to honor its legacy and future. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260430693323/en/ The Empire State Building Celebrates 95 Years as the ‘World’s Most Famous Building’ “The Empire State Building celebrates its 95th anniversary, still the ‘World’s Most Famous Building,’ a modernized, sustainability leader as technologically advanced today as the day she was completed, and the winner of #1 Top Attraction in the United States in Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards for 2026,” said Anthony E. Malkin, chairman and CEO of Empire State Realty Trust. Anniversary Offerings and Experiences To mark its 95th anniversary, the Empire State Building will debut new experiences
MRM Health’s Lead Candidate MH002 Granted Fast Track Designation by U.S. FDA for the Treatment of Mild-to-Moderate Ulcerative Colitis30.4.2026 23:17:00 EEST | Press release
MRM Health, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for immune-mediated diseases, which unlock the power of the microbiome to restore immune balance, today announced that MH002, the Company’s lead rationally designed Live Biotherapeutic Product (LBP) candidate, has been granted Fast Track designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis (UC). MH002 today is the most advanced LBP targeting inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-specific mechanisms and is composed of a rationally designed microbial consortium of six well-characterized commensal strains. The FDA’s Fast Track is a process designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious conditions and fill an unmet medical need. The purpose is to get important drugs to patients earlier. Fast Track designation enables frequent communication with the FDA to discuss the drug's development plan and ensure collection o
Rimini Street Announces Fiscal First Quarter 2026 Financial and Operating Results30.4.2026 23:01:00 EEST | Press release
Rimini Street, Inc., (Nasdaq: RMNI), a global provider of end-to-end enterprise software support, managed services and Agentic AI ERP innovation solutions, and the leading third-party support provider for Oracle, SAP and VMware software, today announced results for the fiscal first quarter ended March 31, 2026. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260430598629/en/ Rimini Street Announces Fiscal First Quarter 2026 Financial and Operating Results “Our first quarter results reflect continued growth and accelerating momentum in our core Rimini Support™ business as organizations turn to the proven Rimini Smart Path™ to execute their global ERP and operational transaction processes faster, better and cheaper with more agility and speed to value – all within existing budgets,” said Seth Ravin, president and CEO, Rimini Street. “We help organizations avoid unnecessary, costly and risky ERP and other enterprise software upg
OpenAI and Yubico Partner to Bring Custom Phishing-Resistant YubiKeys to OpenAI Users30.4.2026 20:13:00 EEST | Press release
Yubico (NASDAQ STOCKHOLM: YUBICO), the pioneer of phishing-resistant authentication and creator of the YubiKey, the gold standard of security keys, today announced an industry-first collaboration with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. Beginning today, people can purchase a new 2-pack set of custom YubiKeys as part of OpenAI’s Advanced Account Security program – enabling them to secure their ChatGPT accounts with security keys, containing the strongest hardware-backed passkeys. Specifically designed for security-conscious users who are at increased risk of targeted digital attacks, the set includes a YubiKey C NFC for tap-to-authenticate on mobile, and a low profile YubiKey C Nano that stays in a port for everyday laptop use – both packed with modern authentication features for the highest level of protection. With OpenAI already using YubiKeys internally to protect their employees and infrastructure from sophisticated phishing, they are now bringing the same level of account security to
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom