It’s giving record flight vibes

The Zephyr S, a solar-powered plane developed by Airbus, just broke its own record for the longest unmanned flight in the world: 27 days and counting, according to flight-tracking data.

☀️✈️ More deets… The remote-controlled aircraft – which glides at an altitude of 70,000 feet, above any weather and conventional air traffic – is designed to provide imagery like a satellite. But there are a few key differences.

• For instance: The craft doesn’t have to orbit Earth, so it can remain in one position and provide constant updates. And the whole not having to go to space thing also means it’s able to return to the ground as needed for upgrades or repairs.

😂 One fun thing: The plane’s operators have taken some… creative liberties with its record-setting flight pattern. As shown in the pic above, Zephyr has been used to spell out the letters ‘USA’ and ‘UK,’ as well as draw rough outlines of Stonehenge and the contiguous United States.☝️

📸 The big picture: Tim Robinson, editor-in-chief of Aerospace magazine, told the BBC that Airbus’ most recent test flight opens the door for practical uses of the Zephyr S, such as military espionage or disaster relief.