Darwin McDaniel
Aurora Flight Sciences, a Boeing subsidiary, has unveiled a new autonomous aircraft that utilizes solar energy to perform long, high-altitude flights.
The Manassas, Va.-based company said Wednesday its new Odysseus unmanned aerial system can support climate change and atmospheric research as well as missions focused on communication, connectivity and intelligence.
Odysseus is designed to monitor storm movement and measure vegetation, ice coverage and flow rates, and ground moisture.
Aurora said the system will offer more affordable weather and storm monitoring with the use of clean energy and a payload capacity that supports long-term, high-resolution observation.
The company set Odysseus’ first flight for the spring of 2019.
Aurora utilizes advanced autonomous systems to build manned and unmanned aircraft.
The company employs 700 workers, with research and manufacturing facilities in West Virginia, Mississippi, Massachusetts and Switzerland.
