XSun is a start-up that designs new types of solar UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) for long range which opens doors to continuous flights.
Walking in the footsteps of Bertrand Picard Solar Impulse Adventure, XSun is concentrating and developing innovations from different worlds: Aerospace, Formula-E, Yachting Competition. The objective is the create a machine with the maximum level of autonomy (both in Energy an in Decision) in order to release the full potential of drones.
For XSun, these new automated solar flying machines can only be controlled by aerospace professional’s engineers and aircraft pilots, with a similar approach than Satellites Operations Concepts. They are at a convergence point between aeronautics and aerospace.
First end users will be companies already using services for their daily needs, but their vision is to open these new remote services to new users. These autonomous flying platforms will bring airborne services to several needs:
Terrestrial Infrastructures and Networks: Monitoring of large industrial networks and energy distribution, pipeline, railways and power gridsEnvironmental monitoring: natural sites, Civil security and search & rescueAgriculture, for monitoring and predictive analysis, optimizing farm operationMaritime border surveillance, monitoring and detection of species
Their approach is based on a multi-configuration payload solar UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) with an innovative architecture able to carry a large variety of sensors. Thanks to solar renewable energy, this flying machine is designed to cover long distances.
The design of the flying machine fully made of composite allows the implementation of a wide surface of solar panel, giving then enough energy to make the UAV highly autonomous in energy.
The global operation will be done using a network of ground control stations, monitoring then the drones for their long distance missions.