# What ever happened to Helios, the solar plane?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-helios-the-solar-plane/983422>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 1, 2023, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-helios-the-solar-plane/983422 "2023-05-01T15:08:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2023, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-helios-the-solar-plane/983422/1 "2023-05-01T15:08:50Z")

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I know what happened to the original plane, but what I really want to know is what happened to the program? Does it live on in other research? NASA, IIRC, flew Helios, a solar powered airplane in about 2004. The original one crashed, but it seems to me that it has great potential as an atmospheric satellite. Was this idea pursued? Why or why not?

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**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-helios-the-solar-plane/983422/2 "2023-05-01T15:18:37Z")

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Development continued - latest iteration is Sunglider:

> **[Sunglider builds on legacy of solar aircraft](https://www.aerotechnews.com/blog/2021/04/04/sunglider-builds-on-legacy-of-solar-aircraft/)**
>
> A remotely piloted solar aircraft has demonstrated it can hover in the stratosphere to provide cellular networks in isolated areas. It also demonstrated remote

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**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2023, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-helios-the-solar-plane/983422/3 "2023-05-01T18:14:39Z")

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NASA is pretty well done with that stuff. It’s now proven tech, so no longer their bailiwick.

There are about a dozen outfits worldwide building solar glider prototypes. Here’s another that flew their first low altitude test just a last week:

> **[Kea Aerospace | Solar-Powered Stratospheric Aircraft, High Altitude Platform...](https://www.keaaerospace.com/)**
>
> Solar-powered, remotely piloted aircraft that fly continuously for months in the stratosphere to collect aerial imagery.