EL CALAFATE, Argentina, July 17, 2023 – The Perlan Project, a U.S.-based nonprofit advancing discovery and promoting education related to high-altitude flight, weather and climate change, is pleased to announce its collaboration with the Argentine Air Force, General Directorate of Research and Development. Through the partnership, both organizations will consolidate data and knowledge acquired through the Airbus Perlan Mission II initiative, which aims to set a new aviation world altitude record this winter in the skies above Patagonia.
Data collected through the initiative will help inform research and scientific discoveries for scientists and educators in Argentina and worldwide. The Perlan 2, a one-of-a-kind pressurized glider with no engine operated by The Perlan Project, and the Grob Egrett G-520 tow plane, operated by AV Experts, LLC, will obtain scientific data that will be available following flights at no cost through www.perlanproject.org.
Perlan 2 is expected to set a new aviation altitude world record this year for piloted, level flight at 90,000 feet. The international team of aviation experts supporting the project plan to start flights to attain this historic achievement within the next month based out of the El Calafate Comandante Armando Tola International in El Calafate, Argentina. The Egrett will transport the Perlan 2 glider through the lower atmosphere quickly, allowing the team to spend more time in the stratosphere.
The Perlan team has previously set four aviation world records in the Perlan 2. This season it will attempt to surpass its current standing record of more than 76,124 feet, set in 2018. The Egrett holds the record for the world’s highest aerial tow. The program is supported by top science, aerospace and technology companies and experts from around the world.
Learn more and sign up to follow and watch live flights of the Perlan 2 through the Perlan Virtual Cockpit at www.perlanproject.org.
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About Airbus Perlan Mission II
Airbus Perlan Mission II is an initiative to fly an engineless glider to the edge of space — higher than any other winged aircraft has operated in piloted level flight — to open up a world of discoveries related to high-altitude flight, weather and climate change. This historic endeavor is the culmination of decades of research and engineering innovation and the work of a tireless international team of aviators and scientists who volunteer their time and expertise for the nonprofit The Perlan Project. The initiative, based in Minden, Nevada, is supported by Airbus and a group of other sponsors that includes Dennis Tito, Weather Extreme Ltd., Raytheon (United Technologies), BRS Aerospace and Thales.
Media Contact
Kristina Messner
The Perlan Project
+1 703 716 3181
kristina@messnermediagroup.com
