Airbus Perlan Mission II wraps up Season 4

Airbus Perlan Mission II has wrapped up its Season 4 flights in Argentina, the team members have returned home, and the Perlan 2 glider is returning to the project’s home in Minden, Nevada.

While a rare stratospheric weather phenomenon kept the glider from reaching world-record altitudes this year, Airbus Perlan Mission II’s pilots nonetheless completed seven stratospheric flights, reaching 65,000ft on Sept. 17, 2019 – the third highest glider flight in history.

Perlan 2 has firmly established itself as an international asset for the global aerospace and meteorological research communities, able to obtain first-of-its-kind data on high altitude aerodynamics, extreme weather, and our earth’s climate.

Achievements this season:

• Stratospheric flights mapped the performance of the Perlan 2, obtaining greater knowledge about high-altitude wing-borne flight
• Improved aircraft systems performance, reliability
• Refined aerotow techniques; made highest aerotows in history

• Gathered data on how stratospheric waves influence the planet’s weather, climate, flight safety
• Collected data on rare sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event as it disrupted the Polar Vortex – the strongest SSW ever recorded
• Launched 29 weather balloons into downwind wave fields
• Inspired the next generation of engineers, explorers, and innovators, with team members speaking to universities, schools; donated supplies to a local El Calafate school
• Shared video interviews, photos, and articles with global audiences through email, blog, podcasts, social media

 If you haven’t seen our news posts this past week, please check out these stories:

14 American companies to split $42.3 million to enable Moon to Mars exploration.

Air Force approves Sikorsky combat rescue helicopter for production

Embraer Praetor 500 receives EASA, FAA approval

Cutting tool use rises year-to-date compared to 2018