Sunlight is all that’s needed to keep these tiny aircraft aloft

undefined 20, 2025

Source: wp

Scientists have created ultralight “mesosphere surfers” that use sunlight to stay aloft in the upper atmosphere, 50–85 km above Earth, where air is too thin for planes. Using photophoresis, gas flow caused by light, tiny devices under a milligram levitate in lab tests. They could measure wind, temperature, and pressure in this “ignorosphere” or even explore Mars’ thin atmosphere, carrying small sensors while hovering without engines.

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