Zephyr: Aircraft breaks own record for longest unmanned flight

The Zephyr spent three and a half weeks continuously flying in in the air

A new record has been set for the longest ever flight of an unmanned aircraft.

The solar-powered Airbus Zephyr S has spent 26 continuous days in the air, beating the record it set in 2018.

The unmanned craft flies high up in the atmosphere, to avoid commercial aeroplanes and bad weather.

The aircraft has on-board batteries to keep it airborne during the night, so that it doesn't need to stop to refuel.

What happened?

Despite being thousands of miles away, the Zephyr S can be controlled from anywhere in the world

Flight data shows the aircraft flew from the test range in the US state of Arizona to Belize in Central America, and then back again.

Tim Robinson, editor-in-chief of Aerospace magazine, told the BBC he thought this distance marked an important milestone for the aircraft.

He added that it also opened up the possibility for new uses for the aircraft, such as communications or helping with rescue missions.

The aircraft can provide imagery like a satellite, but it has the advantage of not having to orbit Earth - meaning it can remain in one position and provide constant updates.

Mr Robinson explained: "It comes back to you.

"You can upgrade sensors on it, you can switch the payloads out, you can upgrade it with a new technology."