@ARTICLE{10.21494/ISTE.OP.2018.0252, 

TITLE={Mastering the design of highly flexible solar powered UAV: towards the concept of High Altitude Pseudo‐Satellite (HAPS)}, 
  
AUTHOR={Bertrand Kirsch, Olivier Montagnier, }, 
	
JOURNAL={Technology and Innovation}, 
	
VOLUME={3}, 

NUMBER={Issue 3}, 
	
YEAR={2018}, 

URL={https://openscience.fr/Mastering-the-design-of-highly-flexible-solar-powered-UAV-towards-the-concept}, 
	
DOI={10.21494/ISTE.OP.2018.0252}, 
	
ISSN={2399-8571}, 
	
ABSTRACT={Initiated in the 1950s with the invention of photovoltaic cells, the almost unlimited endurance high altitude solar drone concept is still under heavy development because of persistent technological barriers. The low propelling power extracted from solar sources involves a specific design of an airframe consisting of a very lightweight and flexible airframe particularly vulnerable to destructive interactions. The latter fall within the scope of aeroelasticity, a discipline between aerodynamic and structural mechanics. This article illustrates the transdisciplinary approach required to achieve
such a challenging goal and presents innovative solutions based on research work. These should enable commercial exploitation of such a concept and then fill the gap between conventional HALE drones and satellites in the field of observation and telecommunication.}}