First drone flight using solid-state hydrogen completed by Cella in the UK

In the United Kingdom, newscientist.com reported that the Cella successfully flew the first aircraft powered by solid hydrogen in a test flight that lasted 10 minutes at an altitude of 80 meters, but the designers say the aircraft had enough fuel for a two-hour flight. Previous attempts at hydrogen-powered planes used large tanks of liquid hydrogen kept at incredibly low temperatures, but this tank design proved to be too large and cumbersome to be practical. When compared to lithium-ion powertrains, Cella states that “if you put twice as much fuel you can go twice as far,” conferring a potential major advantage for a hydrogen-powered flight over battery power. The experimental drone runs on 1-centimeter-square pellets that emit only water vapor when they burn and are three times lighter than a lithium battery. The firm hopes that one day the technology will help make all aircraft lighter and cleaner.