Swiss Pilot Claims Altitude Record in Solar-Powered Plane

A Swiss pilot has claimed the altitude record for a solar-powered electric plane, reports CBS News. Raphael Domjan, 53, took off from Sion airport in Switzerland on Tuesday and reached the height of 9,521 meters—31,237 feet—in his SolarStratos aircraft, according to a statement from his team. The previous record was 9,235 meters, set in 2010 by another Swiss pilot, Andre Borschberg, per AFP. The World Air Sports Federation will now review the data from the five-hour-plus flight to confirm.

The single-prop, solar cell-clad craft has a wingspan of roughly 81 feet and is a bit under 10 feet long. Under the rules for such records, its batteries must be fully charged by the sun before takeoff, then boosted during the flight via solar panels.