NASA Centurion – The 63-Metre Step Between Pathfinder and Helios

On our site you can already read about two NASA solar wings: Pathfinder-Plus, which flew to 80,201 feet, and Helios, which reached almost 29 km. Between them sits Centurion, the third aircraft in the series. It was built by AeroVironment under NASA’s ERAST programme (Environmental Research Aircraft and Sensor Technology).

The goal was ambitious: a solar plane that could reach 100,000 feet (30,000 m), serve as an “atmospheric satellite” for research and communications, and stay aloft for a long time. NASA’s programme managers decided the lowest-risk path was to scale up the proven flying-wing concept of Pathfinder.

A quarter-scale model first flew at El Mirage Dry Lake on 4 March 1997; as the photo shows, crew members ran and cycled alongside it. The full-size Centurion had a wingspan of 63 m (206 ft), 14 electric motors and four underwing pods for batteries, flight controls, ballast and landing gear. Its structure was stronger than Pathfinder’s, able to carry up to 272 kg (600 lb) of payload, and its wing had a new high-altitude airfoil.

The maiden flight took place at Rogers Dry Lake on 10 November 1998 and lasted 1 hour 24 minutes, with a 68 kg steel anvil hanging under the wing to simulate a payload. Two more flights followed; on the last one the aircraft flew at its maximum weight of 819 kg. All three test flights ran on battery power to check handling and structure. They went so well that NASA decided to extend the wing even further, and in January 1999 work began on the Helios Prototype.

Technical data

Photos

• Top photo: NASA photo by Tom Tschida / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
• Crew members jog and cycle beside the quarter-scale model of… Photo: NASA photo by Brent Wood / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Sources

• Wikipedia: NASA Centurion