SolarStratos, a solar-powered aircraft project from Switzerland, has reached 8,224 meters on August 10, 2025, with pilot Raphael Domjan flying from Sion airport. This was about 1,000 meters short of the 9,235-meter record set in 2010 by Andre Borschberg in Solar Impulse. The four-and-a-half-hour flight was the highest yet for SolarStratos. Earlier, a warm-up flight on July 31 reached 6,589 meters, while an attempt on Friday ended early due to weak thermal lift. The two-seater plane has a 24.8-meter wingspan covered with solar panels and recharges its batteries using sunlight. The team plans more flights to pass 10,000 meters, aiming to reach altitudes similar to commercial airliners when weather and battery power allow.