A hydrogen flight around the world

February 7, 2024

The Swiss explorer Bertrand Piccard, already famous for his exploits in a hot air balloon and with a solar plane, presented Climate Impulse, his project to circumnavigate the planet in 9 days with a non-stop flight and using green hydrogen as fuel.
Climate Impulse has already required two years of research, development, and design with the support of major companies such as Airbus, Daher, Capgemini, and Ariane Group. The construction phase has now started under the direction of engineer Raphaël Dinelli. In another two years, the plane will be ready to begin testing. At the end of the tests, the feat will be attempted by Bertrand Piccard and Raphaël Dinelli.
The propulsion system will be electric with engines powered by fuel cells. The accumulation of hydrogen will be carried out in the liquid phase in order to reduce the overall dimensions. The crucial part will be the choice of materials to guarantee lightness and robustness to the aircraft and Syensqo will take care of these aspects, as it has already done for Solar Impulse.

Source: Climate Impulse