Airbus

Flying at some 65,000 feet, the ultra-lightweight Zephyr S is uniquely capable of providing persistent surveillance or communications over the same area of land or sea for weeks at a time without landing.

A solar-powered drone has been airborne since June 15 after taking off from the Army’s Proving Grounds in Yuma.

In that time, it’s flown over southwestern Arizona but has also gone further south. And as some observers have noted, it’s had some interesting and creative flight patterns — including one that spelled out “4 July,” and another that looks like the Liberty Bell.

Brett Tingley is an editor at space.com.

The Show spoke with him about the drone, and they started the conversation by talking about what the Airbus Zephyr S drone’s purpose is, and what folks are hoping to get out of it.

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