Solar Ship’s Solar Cargo Helium Plane Is a Futuristic Airship That Actually Exists
Oct 25, 2011 11:00 AM ET
People have talked about building futuristic airships for zero emissions cargo shipping for a long time, but most of these green blimps remain on the drawing board. One company, SolarShip, has taken the steps to bring its vision of a green shipping future to life by conducting the initial test flights for its solar helium plane. The prototype blends the concepts of airships and airplane by placing a blimp lined with solar panels over an airplane cockpit and landing gear, and using solar power to propel the plane into the air. SolarShip plans to build three sizes of this ship: the small Caracal, the mid-size Chui, and the 30-tonne cargo hauler Nanuq. It appears to be the mid-sized Chui in the test flight video below.
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