Solar-powered stratocraft that broke world records on first flights eyes new mission
Published on Feb 23, 2026 at 4:20 AM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Feb 19, 2026 at 9:57 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
The solar-powered stratocraft that broke world records on its first flight has a new mission on the agenda.
AALTO, a subsidiary of Airbus, is eying up a landing site in northern Australia to launch the Zephyr Stratocraft from.
Zephyr set a world record last year for longest continuous flight, as it stayed airborne for 67 days.
With a new site being eyed up, a second mission might not be too far behind.
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Why is AALTO eying up Australia for a landing site for its stratocraft?
In February 2025, the Zephyr was launched from the first AALTOPORT in Kenya.
Two months later, its flight had concluded at 67 days, 6 hours. and 52 minutes, making this the longest continuous flight ever.
During the mission, it passed through several flight regions.
One such airspace was above Australia, where the company is looking to set up a site for Zephyr’s second launch, Autoevolution reported.
Why exactly is northern Australia seen as an ideal spot for this sort of mission?
Its closeness to the equator is particularly appealing, but the stratocraft could also benefit the region.
Take, for instance, the occurrence of wildfires, drought, and deforestation, which are all recurring issues for the country.
If in orbit, Zephyr could be used to monitor the impact of these events.
As of yet, Australia hasn’t been officially chosen, as discussions are still underway with the Northern Territory Government.
It’s believed that a final decision will be shared with the public in April.
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It seems like everyone wants to go up into the skies these days
In the growing domain of stratospace, there’s a whole range of opportunities for aircraft, from mobile connectivity to defense.
One need only look at the activities of SpaceX and the 1,000,000 extra satellites it’s planning to send up into Earth’s orbit for proof of that.
And it’s not just American companies that are keen to head for the skies.
A Chinese satellite considered a direct threat to Starlink made headlines last year.
And then over in India, NISAR was launched to monitor climate change from space.
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Following stints at LadBible, The Sun, The New York Post, and the Daily Mail, Ben joined the team full-time in February 2025. In his role as Senior Content Writer, his sparkling copy, the ability to sniff out a good story at 100 paces, and a GSOH quickly led to him becoming an integral and invaluable member of the writing staff.
