The Mission of the Mermoz Drone to Conquer the Ocean with the Power of Hydrogen

Written by Carla Teles

Published on 26/06/2025 at 16:06

Descubra o Drone Mermoz, a aeronave revolucionária que se inspira no voo do albatroz para cruzar oceanos usando apenas hidrogênio como energia limpa.

Be the first to react!

Inspired by The Efficiency of the Albatross and Powered by Liquid Hydrogen, French Project Develops The First Unmanned Electric Aircraft Capable of Crossing The Atlantic.

A drone weighing only 25 kilograms with the ability to cross oceans. This is the promise of the Mermoz Drone, a project developed in France. The unmanned aircraft could be the first of its kind to achieve such a feat. It is designed to cover up to 3,200 kilometers without interruptions.

Mermoz Drone Takes Inspiration from The Flight of The Albatross and Honors The History of Aviation

The design of the Mermoz Drone is electrically powered. Its conception was inspired by the flying techniques of the albatross. This seabird takes advantage of atmospheric turbulence to glide and cover nearly 1,000 kilometers a day. The technique allows the bird to reduce effort and save energy during flight.

The project is an initiative of researchers and students from the Higher Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Isae-Supaero) in Toulouse. The name is a tribute to pilot Jean Mermoz. In May 1930, he made the first commercial crossing of the South Atlantic, flying from Senegal to Brazil, marking a significant advancement for aviation.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

The Revolution of Liquid Hydrogen in Flight Autonomy

Currently, unmanned electric aircraft have limited range and autonomy. The cause is the low energy density of lithium batteries. Therefore, the new project bets on the use of hydrogen fuel cells. This is a clean energy source that can help in the decarbonization of the global energy matrix.

Hydrogen cells have several advantages over lithium batteries. They provide about five times more energy per hour of flight for the same weight. In addition, they offer greater operational reliability and require less maintenance than internal combustion engines.

Challenges and Technological Solutions of The Project

One of the main technical challenges of using hydrogen cells is the dissipation of the heat generated. To overcome this limitation, researchers created a prototype that uses hydrogen in liquid form. This solution also helps to enhance the autonomy of the aircraft.

The drone will be equipped with a satellite communication system. According to Nikola Gavrilovic, a postdoctoral researcher at Isae-Supaero, this will allow “to load and update the route based on different weather conditions”.

Applications and The Promising Future of The Mermoz Drone

The innovative characteristics of the Mermoz Drone make it promising for a variety of applications. It could be used in commercial, civilian, and military contexts. Its ability to fly for long periods, with low noise levels and without the need for frequent landings, opens up a new range of possibilities for unmanned aircraft.

The Mission of the Mermoz Drone to Conquer the Ocean with the Power of Hydrogen

Inspired by The Efficiency of the Albatross and Powered by Liquid Hydrogen, French Project Develops The First Unmanned Electric Aircraft Capable of Crossing The Atlantic.

Mermoz Drone Takes Inspiration from The Flight of The Albatross and Honors The History of Aviation

The Revolution of Liquid Hydrogen in Flight Autonomy

Challenges and Technological Solutions of The Project

Applications and The Promising Future of The Mermoz Drone

While an average building in London or New York takes three years to be completed, in China a 26-story tower went up in five days with about 100 workers, and the global modular construction market already moves US$ 95 billion per year.

Australia installs giant concrete structures on the seabed 800 meters from the shore to create an ocean intake for desalination that will draw in saltwater and produce 30 million liters of drinking water per day.

While cities spend fortunes patching potholes and tons of plastic become waste, the Netherlands transforms over 218,000 recycled cups into a modular bike path that can conceal drainage, cables, and pipes.

A public school student single-handedly created a machine capable of treating water for up to 50 people using only solar energy. It was awarded third place at one of the most important science fairs in the world.

Goodbye traditional washing machine: Panasonic surprises housewives with the NA-G5 featuring four drums, a 13 kg washer and dryer, a 12 kg dryer, independent mini washers, a heat pump, and a 4-in-1 system awarded at the German Design Award.

While communities suffer from water scarcity and the advancing desert, women in Morocco use nets high up in the mountains to trap fog droplets, fill reservoirs, and transport drinking water through more than 10 km of piping.

Volkswagen admits to Reuters that the value of its cars is falling in Brazil due to the aggressive entry of Chinese companies like BYD, but asserts that it will not enter a price war and believes it is well-positioned to hold back the advance.

How to make charcoal in the backyard using a small oven covered with galvanized sheets and sealed with fine soil, in a traditional Filipino technique called pugon that yields up to one and a half bags of charcoal per burn.

You won’t believe how industrial egg production works in Brazil and the level of technology behind millions of units produced every day.

Material practically banned for almost 90 years makes a strong comeback in construction: made of hemp and lime, it insulates 15 times more than concrete, absorbs CO₂ over the centuries, and challenges an industry that helped push it out of the market.

The Mission of the Mermoz Drone to Conquer the Ocean with the Power of Hydrogen

Inspired by The Efficiency of the Albatross and Powered by Liquid Hydrogen, French Project Develops The First Unmanned Electric Aircraft Capable of Crossing The Atlantic.

Mermoz Drone Takes Inspiration from The Flight of The Albatross and Honors The History of Aviation

The Revolution of Liquid Hydrogen in Flight Autonomy

Challenges and Technological Solutions of The Project

Applications and The Promising Future of The Mermoz Drone

While an average building in London or New York takes three years to be completed, in China a 26-story tower went up in five days with about 100 workers, and the global modular construction market already moves US$ 95 billion per year.

Australia installs giant concrete structures on the seabed 800 meters from the shore to create an ocean intake for desalination that will draw in saltwater and produce 30 million liters of drinking water per day.

While cities spend fortunes patching potholes and tons of plastic become waste, the Netherlands transforms over 218,000 recycled cups into a modular bike path that can conceal drainage, cables, and pipes.

A public school student single-handedly created a machine capable of treating water for up to 50 people using only solar energy. It was awarded third place at one of the most important science fairs in the world.

Goodbye traditional washing machine: Panasonic surprises housewives with the NA-G5 featuring four drums, a 13 kg washer and dryer, a 12 kg dryer, independent mini washers, a heat pump, and a 4-in-1 system awarded at the German Design Award.

While communities suffer from water scarcity and the advancing desert, women in Morocco use nets high up in the mountains to trap fog droplets, fill reservoirs, and transport drinking water through more than 10 km of piping.

While Brazil is still discussing how to store solar and wind energy, Portugal has set up three dams in the mountains to function as a giga battery of 1.15 GW and store renewable energy on a large scale.

While American dams have gone decades without turbines, Oak Ridge is 3D printing turbines to unlock up to 29 GW stalled in the US.

New Inmetro label removes D, E, and F refrigerators from shelves in Brazil since January: classes A, B, and C now pay up to R$ 400 less on the electricity bill.

MIT startup tests in Houston a millimeter wave maser drill that promises to bore 20 km of rock, three times deeper than Kola

Commonwealth Fusion Systems installs a 48-ton vessel and reaches 75% of the SPARC reactor in Massachusetts

Volkswagen admits to Reuters that the value of its cars is falling in Brazil due to the aggressive entry of Chinese companies like BYD, but asserts that it will not enter a price war and believes it is well-positioned to hold back the advance.

How to make charcoal in the backyard using a small oven covered with galvanized sheets and sealed with fine soil, in a traditional Filipino technique called pugon that yields up to one and a half bags of charcoal per burn.

You won’t believe how industrial egg production works in Brazil and the level of technology behind millions of units produced every day.

Material practically banned for almost 90 years makes a strong comeback in construction: made of hemp and lime, it insulates 15 times more than concrete, absorbs CO₂ over the centuries, and challenges an industry that helped push it out of the market.