A solar-powered drone with a jumbo jet span wingspan broke aviation records—and then it crashed

The Skydweller drone was last seen on the flight tracking system Aircraft Radar 24 north of Cancun, Mexico, in the early morning hours of May 4. The company explained that the pilot plane made a “controlled water drop” at about 6:30 am Eastern Time, but the plane “subsequently sank due to its structural weakness.”

By the time it landed, the Skydweller had completed a flight of eight days and 14 minutes, longer than any drone or commercial aircraft. The Skydweller Aero company recalled that it was a “functional prototype” that “guaranteed the continued existence of a solar powered, mid-range aircraft” despite being lost at sea.

The airline’s past actions may still linger in the public mind. Solar Impulse 2 became the first solar-powered plane to fly around the world after completing several flights between 2015 and 2016. world history for the longest flight by solar powered plane when André Borschberg piloted the plane for 117 hours and 52 minutes—almost five days—on the 8,924-mile trip between Nagoya, Japan, and Hawaii.

Now, the crash of the Skydweller drone means that the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne will no longer display the history of the aircraft in accordance with the original agreement with Skydweller Aero, according to SWI Swissinfo. This represents a blow to aviation enthusiasts unless future rescue operations take place.

Pioneering designs may still power future solar-powered aircraft for civilian or military use. Skydweller Aero told Ars that it doesn’t have any prototypes ready to replace the lost drone — but the company’s post described “pre-planned modifications using existing technology” that could help future solar-powered drones withstand inclement weather. Meanwhile, the Pentagon has decided to spend less $54 billion in military drone systems.