Solar-powered Zephyr plane beats unmanned flight record

The delicate aircraft you see here just broke a world record for the longest-lasting unmanned flight. It stayed aloft for 83 hours, 37 minutes, charging up its lithium-sulfur batteries with its solar panels during the day, allowing it to cruising 24/7 at an altitude of 60,000 feet.

This 66-pound plane was hand-launched by the guys you see here, and was controlled by an autopilot guided by GPS for the 3.5-day flight. You won’t be booking any tickets on such an aircraft anytime soon — the military hopes to use these things as surveillance platforms, powered by the sun and flying indefinitely.

Via Associated Press