Altran, an engineering consulting company, has played an important role in the first trans-Mediterranean flight of the Solar Impulse solar plane between Switzerland and Morocco. The plane is on a round trip voyage to complete a distance of 5,000 km. At present, the solar plane has landed at the Barajas Airport in Madrid.
The Solar Impulse HB-SIA is a solar plane that can fly both during the day and night without any fuel. It has the weight of a normal car and has a wingspan of 63.4 m, which is equivalent to that of an Airbus A340. Made of carbon fiber, it is powered by 12,000 solar cells that are integrated into the plane’s wing. The power is sent to four electric motors that charge lithium polymer batteries, weighing 400 kg, during the day. The battery storage provides power to the plane to fly during the night. The project team consists of 70 people along with 80 partners.
Altran's experts have been providing support from 2003. These experts include consultants in aerospace, energy, project management and risk management skills.
The Mission Control Centre is based in Payerne, Switzerland, where Stéphane Yong and Christophe Béesau, Altran's experts, have designed a simulator of the mission. This simulator has the ability to recalculate the various possible flight paths.
The HB-SIB is an advanced prototype that is being built for a world tour. Altran is making the Stability Augmentation System (SAS), an automatic pilot system for the plane. The new system will allow permanent monitoring of the automatic pilot, the pilot and the plane’s sensors. The SAS sends an alert when the flight behavior alters unexpectedly.
The round-the-world tour is scheduled for 2014 and its maiden voyage is expected to be held in 2013.
Source: http://www.altran.com/
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