Kea Aerospace launches Kea Atmos Mk1 with Audi e-tron
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Kea Aerospace has launched its Kea Atmos Mk1 uncrewed aircraft, designed for stratospheric flight testing. This launch was special because it was conducted using an electric-powered Audi e-tron Sportback. This is the first solar-powered stratospheric aircraft designed and built in the Southern Hemisphere.
Kea Aerospace is building a global fleet of solar-powered uncrewed aircraft to fly in the stratosphere for months at a time, carrying a suite of aerial imagery equipment for environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, disaster management, and maritime awareness, among other uses.
The aircraft has a wingspan of 41 feet (12.5 meters), weighs under 88 pounds (40 kilograms), and will fly at altitudes higher than commercial airliners, up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters).
The Atmos Mk1 has been designed to test the technology for the stratosphere and can fly for up to 16 hours. The company is currently constructing the long-flight endurance Kea Atmos Mk2, which will have a wingspan of around 100 feet (30 meters) and be built in 2023. The stratosphere provides a sweet spot for cost-effective, high-resolution aerial imaging.
The Kea Atmos will use sunlight to power up the batteries during the day and carefully optimize its power use, enabling continued flight throughout the night during the hours of darkness.
Mark Rocket, CEO of Kea Aerospace, said, "It's an exhilarating year for the company as we undertake a range of challenging flight tests on our journey to the stratosphere. It was an absolute thrill to show the Kea Atmos Mk1 aircraft to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and NASA Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy last month, and we look forward to working with a wide range of international aerospace participants."
Kea Aerospace is based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and high-altitude flights are planned this year to take off from Tāwhaki on the Kaitorete Spit, located 31 miles (50 km) south of Christchurch. Kea Aerospace has been building and flying electric-powered aircraft and high-altitude balloons as part of its program to build a global fleet of solar-powered uncrewed aircraft.
The Kea Atmos is the first solar-powered stratospheric aircraft designed and built in the Southern Hemisphere. It's an incredible challenge to make the aircraft as lightweight as possible to fly in less than 10 percent of the air density we have at sea level, but at the same time, it has to be tough enough to handle flying through the fast jet streams, Mark Rocket said.
Being solar-powered with zero emissions, the Kea Atmos is the perfect tool for climate change research. The company envisions its solar-powered Kea Atmos giving the complete picture needed to monitor the land, waterways, and coastline to protect it for the future. Kea Aerospace is working on more than just harvesting better data; it will manage the entire pipeline from data acquisition and storage to analysis and delivery and provide improved data intelligence at a cost much lower than is currently available.
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