Planer Perlan 2, created by Airbus, set a record, climbing to a height of 15.8 thousand meters. The device with two pilots on board was launched from the airfield Commandantante Armando Tola in Argentina. The glider broke the record of 2006, installed by Perlan 1. Then the device climbed to a height of 15462 m.
The ultimate goal of the project is the launch of a glider to the border of space to a height of 100 km.
The device weighs 500 kg. The wing span is 27 m. The glider has a pressurized cockpit with an oxygen supply system for breathing and a parachute for emergency rescue.
For lifting to great heights, the apparatus uses ascending air currents that form above the Andes.
According to representatives of Airbus, Argentina is one of the few places on Earth where air flows can reach the stratosphere several times a year.
In the near future, the company’s specialists intend to send a glider to the conquest of the height of 27.4 thousand meters.
