"The drone has completed preparations for takeoff, please instruct the tower."

On the empty airport runway, a strange-looking plane is waiting to take off.

It has a wingspan that surpasses that of a jumbo jet airliner, reaching 52 meters!

But it has a short body, no more than ten meters in length.

On the wavy back, are curved flexible solar panels.

It uses a very traditional propeller engine, with six oversized propellers, arranged in three or three on both sides of the wing.

"Permission to take off!"

Zhang Xingyang's calm voice sounded in the walkie-talkie.

The ground control crew, which started the electric motors inside the cabin by radio.

High-performance lithium batteries begin to power electric motors, driving the propellers to rotate at high speeds.

Drones look big, but they're not very fast.

It took more than 2,500 meters to glide on the runway before slowly rising from the ground.

"The first step, it seems, is a success."

Qin Yue, who was a guest visitor, breathed a sigh of relief and said with a little excitement.

"This just proves that there is nothing wrong with the design of the drone itself."

Zhang Xingyang is quite calm:

"It doesn't yet say anything about the success of high-altitude solar-powered drones."

"To prove that it really succeeded, we have to wait until its round-the-world flight is completed!"

As the world's first high-altitude solar-powered drone put into the experimental verification stage.

Zhang Xingyang had high hopes for it, and even developed an experimental plan that seemed slightly crazy to others.

Let this drone, without landing, fly autonomously around the earth!

Even developers who have a lot of contact with this drone on a daily basis have some concerns about this.

Of course, different people have different concerns.

People who don't know much are worried about whether drones can fly uninterrupted.

After all, solar power can only be generated during the day, and at night it consumes electricity from the battery.

If the two cannot be balanced, it is difficult for the UAV to last more than 24 hours.

Researchers who have a deeper understanding are worried about another thing.

They are not worried about the performance of solar-powered drones, but about the impact of other aspects.

Although the drone flies at an altitude of 30 kilometers, the airspace of most countries is outside of it.

However, there are still some countries that have divided their airspace to more than 30 kilometers.

If their drones fly over their airspace, it can cause quite a few disputes.

"The drone signal has been received and is flying according to the designated route!"

The operator on one side said after the drone took off.

"How much power is solar power?"

Zhang Xingyang asked while looking at the screen displaying various data.

This question was actually asked to the people next to him, and Zhang Xingyang just saw the current power generation power of the drone at a glance.

"At present, the power generation is 275W."

This power is basically enough energy for a solar drone to meet the needs of 24-hour cruise.

It can even meet some of the equipment carried on the drone to maintain high-power operation.

"Although the power generation is now sufficient, it is noon and the sun is at its strongest."

Zhang Xingyang still hasn't completely put his mind at ease:

"The current sunlight power is not representative of the average daytime."

"Maybe the overall average power during the day is less than 250W."

Zhang Xingyang has high expectations for high-altitude solar drones.

So relatively speaking, there are more worries.

Others feel that the current performance alone is a success of the project.

Especially Qin Yue, as a representative of ZF, it is difficult to understand Zhang Xingyang's worries.

"Professor Zhang, aren't we already successful now?"

"What else is there to worry about."

For Qin Yue, the ability of drones to take off and generate electricity is success.

They can report the high-altitude solar drone as this year's scientific and technological achievements in the annual report.

You can even apply for provincial and even national science and technology awards.

This is the difference in perspective, and this is the major difference that comes from the perspective of the two sides.

Qin Yue: They still pay more attention to the impact of drones as a high-tech achievement.

The research institute, or Zhang Xingyang, pays more attention to the performance of the drone itself.

In his eyes, the most important thing for drones is power generation performance.

UAVs, as a flying platform, are nothing at all.

Because in the future, high-altitude power generation will still rely on large satellites flying in space.

High-altitude solar-powered drones are more used as communication relays, optical reconnaissance and other functions.

"It may seem like success to you, but it seems to me that this is just the first step towards success."

Zhang Xingyang raised his head from the data on the screen and said.

"If the drone can successfully fly around the world, then for me, it's part of the success."

The differences between the two sides are really a bit big.

But fortunately, Qin Yue and the others would not really want to interfere with the operation of the research institute.

At the end of the day, they want more of a name to attract more high-quality talents to the local area.

ignored Qin Yue and the others who were discussing in a whisper behind their backs.

Zhang Xingyang devoted his attention to the flight of the drone.

Although the flight altitude of the UAV is 30 kilometers, the average civil airliner and fighter jet cannot fly at this altitude.

However, before the experiment, it was still applied to the management department for a special route.

After the drone departs, it flies all the way to the east.

More than 1,000 kilometers above the mainland, there are basically no accidents.

The speed of the drone is not very fast, the speed is only 500 kilometers per hour.

It is not as good as fighter jets and other military aircraft, and there is still a long way to go from civil airliners.

However, it doesn't consume much energy, and this speed is acceptable.

The stratosphere is extremely stable and produces almost no vertical airflow.

This is also an important reason why this one-size-fits-all drone, which looks like a contemporaneous drone of the Wright brothers, can fly thousands of miles safely.

If you are flying in the troposphere, where the air flow is more complex, it is difficult for the body structure to stick to the flight.

"The current power generation is still around 270W."

The operator was very happy.

After more than two hours of flight, the drone has just entered the sky over the Yellow Sea.

At this time, the sunlight is not as strong as when it first took off, but the power generation does not drop much.

"It seems that our photovoltaic panels are really good!"

Zhang Xingyang also said with some excitement.

Now the drone is not receiving light, and it is expected that there are less than two hours left.

In fact, when the drone took off, it was half past twelve in the local afternoon.

The flight lasted more than two hours, but it was only three o'clock.

But take into account that the further east you fly, the later it will be.

Every 1,600 kilometers, there is a time difference of one hour!

Moreover, it is March, and the direct point of the sun is still near the equator.

The drone flies north of the Tropic of Cancer and does not receive sunlight until six o'clock every day.

The next test of drones will be unprecedented high intensity.

It's almost across the Pacific Ocean!

On this vast sea area of more than 10,000 kilometers, neither the Dragon Kingdom nor the Research Institute has any influence.

There was an accident with the drone, and it was not even possible to recover the drone.

Minutes and seconds passed, at four o'clock in the afternoon local time.

The drone has flown into the darkness of the night, and the flexible solar panels are unable to generate electricity.

Now it is only possible to rely on the internal lithium battery pack for power.

"The drone has entered the dark zone."

The operator looked at the information sent back by Beidou navigation and positioning.

Beidou now covers almost all areas of the Northern Hemisphere.

Therefore, high-altitude solar drones can also be positioned with the help of Beidou satellites.

"It currently operates at 72W."

Some non-essential equipment on the drone has been turned off at this time.

Electricity, as an energy source for 24-hour uninterrupted flight, can almost always be saved at night.

Otherwise, it's hard to say whether you'll be able to hold out until the drone sees the sun the next day!

"Judging from the current state of operation, at least we can insist on flying to the Americas!"

Zhang Xingyang looked at the data in the data table and said.

"It will take more than 20 hours to fly over the Pacific Ocean next."

After Zhang Xingyang read the data, he stood up and said to everyone in the control room:

"Let's arrange the duty time, divide it into three shifts, and monitor the operation status of the drone 24 hours a day."

This matter, in fact, was arranged before the experiment.

Zhang Xingyang was only confirmed at this time, and officially started the 24-hour duty system.

High-altitude solar-powered drones, when flying over the Pacific Ocean, also need to fly south along the coastline, and finally enter the Atlantic Ocean from the southern end.

It will take at least a few days to get there.

On duty 24 hours a day, it must be carried out in three shifts.

"Professor Zhang, after the success of the high-altitude solar drone, is it time to start wireless power transmission?"

After Zhang Xingyang finished speaking, Qin Yue walked up at this time and whispered in his ear.

"Wireless power transmission, we are still conducting ground trials, and it will take a little time before it enters the practical stage."

Zhang Xingyang glanced back at the other party and said.

The difficulty of wireless power transmission is far greater than the difficulty of developing high-altitude solar drones.

Even if Zhang Xingyang has proposed a clear technical route, a lot of research and development work is still needed.

Especially with the increase in wireless transmission distance.

The difficulty is almost skyrocketing.

The difficulty of 10-meter wireless power transmission and 100-meter wireless power transmission has increased by an order of magnitude.

The difficulty of 100-meter wireless transmission and 1000-meter wireless transmission has increased by two orders of magnitude.

At present, Bishan is researching kilometer-level wireless power transmission, and is still striving for 100-meter level wireless power transmission.

"Professor Zhang, you might as well say bluntly, how long will it take to achieve kilometer-level wireless power transmission?"

Qin Yue asked very simply at this time.

"The 100-meter level wireless transmission can be developed within two or three years."

Zhang Xingyang thought for a while and then replied:

"Kilometer-level wireless power transmission is ideally estimated to take about ten years."

With such a level of high technology, it takes ten years to complete the research and development work.

In Zhang Xingyang's opinion, it is relatively fast.

If Zhang Xingyang had not pointed out that many of the key difficulties had been solved, it would not necessarily be possible to solve the kilometer-level wireless transmission in at least 30 years.

"Isn't this too long?" Qin Yue was silent for a while before asking.

Zhang Xingyang naturally saw what she was thinking.

Ten years may not be a long time for R&D.

But for those who pursue political achievements, it is a bit too long, and it is impossible to say whether she will be in the local area at that time.

But Zhang Xingyang also has an indifferent mentality.

After all, this project is largely begging them locally.

Originally, relying on the research institute's own funds and technical strength, it was able to complete the development of such a technology.

"If you think it's too long, you can withdraw it."

After Zhang Xingyang dropped such a sentence nonchalantly, he began to look at the data on the screen again.

High-altitude solar-powered drones fly in the stratosphere, and the environment of the ocean has little effect on it.

However, there are still some concerns.

Qin Yue glanced at everyone present, and then left the control room in a little silence.

Six hours after takeoff, the high-altitude solar-powered drone flew over the waters of the East China Sea.

Fly over the edge of the Pacific Ocean, from the edge of the Ryukyus, into the world's widest sea!

Officially entered the vast Pacific Ocean, and after that, it will have no place to settle down in the thousands of miles of flight.

Under three shifts, time flies quickly.

Zhang Xingyang has only slept for less than four hours in the past 20 hours.

However, he is still young in the end, and even staying up late does not have much impact on his work.

"Drones, about to fly out of the Pacific Ocean."

In the past nearly 30 hours of flight, the drone has rarely changed direction.

Most of the time, it's flying in one direction.

"Steering procedures ready!"

Accompanied by one command after another, through the low-orbit communication satellite in space, it is transmitted to the UAV control chip tens of thousands of miles away.

The steering rudder in the tail section of the aircraft, which began to deflect under the control of the internal motors.

The drone is still flying along the coastline, all the way south.

Almost all the way along the coastline of the continent flew thousands of kilometers.

The drone entered the South Atlantic Ocean from the Strait of Magellan.

During this time, drones will fly in the southern part of the planet.

In a very short period of time, it crossed the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean one after another

The drone then crossed the Cape of Good Hope and entered the Indian Ocean, where it slowly crossed the equator and headed north.

After that, it will fly the last distance over the third brother's house.

At this point, the drone is only a short distance away from completing its round-the-world flight.

The high-altitude solar-powered drone will travel directly north from the ocean, cross the world's highest peak, and reach its take-off point from the snowy plateau.

At this point, it's only been a week since it took off!

(End of chapter)