SolarStratos to represent Swiss innovation at Expo 2017 in Kazakhstan

The SolarStratos stratospheric solar plane will be one of the main attractions at the Expo 2017 Swiss Pavillion, which opens its doors on Saturday 10 June in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan. The theme of this first international exhibition in Central Asia is “the energy of the future”.

“We are very proud to be a part of Expo 2017 with the support of Présence Suisse," said Raphael Domjan, the creator of the SolarStratos project. “In addition to technological innovation, SolarStratos aims to promote renewable energy by demonstrating that concepts and projects that seemed inconceivable five years ago are now possible thanks to technology available today. Our project is at the heart of the concerns of Expo 2017.”  

The Swiss Pavilion, also known as “Flower Power” will be centred around four themed houses: the Mont Rose Cabin, the House of the Röstis, the Water House and the House of Swiss Innovation. The latter, which will showcase the spirit of Swiss innovation will include the SolarStratos project as well as the latest Swiss technological advances in the field of energy. 

The international exhibition is open for three months and will welcome five million visitors. 

SolarStratos is a SolarXplorers S.A. adventure. The mission, initiated by Swiss eco-explorer Raphael Domjan in 2014, aims to achieve the first solar-powered stratospheric flight at an altitude of more than 24,000 metres by 2019.

SolarStratos is a two-seater solar-powered aircraft manufactured and designed by Calin Gologan, CEO of Elektra Solar GmbH. The solar systems were developed by the CSEM in Neuchatel and a team of international specialists.

To achieve this unprecedented mission, Raphael Domjan, supported by the Swiss Confederation and the German Space Agency (DLR), has teamed up with a group of specialists, namely: test pilot, Damian Hischer; astronaut, Michael Lopez-Alegria; entrepreneur, Thierry Plojoux and CEO of SolarStratos, Roland Loos, as well as other engineering, meteorology, IT and communication experts.