Orange Partners with 'Climate Impulse' for First-Ever Hydrogen-Powered Flight Around the World

Orange, the prominent French telecommunications operator, has forged a strategic partnership with Climate Impulse, an ambitious project spearheaded by Bertrand Piccard and Raphaël Dinelli. This collaboration aims to achieve the unprecedented feat of the first non-stop flight around the world using a green hydrogen-powered aircraft. The initiative represents a significant stride towards demonstrating the viability of hydrogen as a sustainable aviation fuel, directly addressing the global imperative to decarbonize the civil aviation sector.

Under the terms of the partnership, Orange assumes a pivotal role in defining and securing the complex flight path for the hydrogen aircraft. The French telecom giant will leverage its advanced expertise in connectivity, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital twin technologies to optimize flight routes in real-time. This sophisticated technological framework ensures a secure and continuous link between the experimental aircraft and its ground control center, notably through the deployment of cutting-edge post-quantum cryptography technologies to safeguard critical data transmissions.

Lyse Brillouet, Executive Director of Research at Orange, emphasized that this challenging endeavor provides a unique opportunity to rigorously test and validate "unique digital twin solutions" under extreme operational conditions. Beyond the technical aspects, the partnership also includes a public-facing component, featuring an interactive application and live content designed to engage a global audience. Climate Impulse's overarching mission, supported by Orange's technological prowess, is to unequivocally showcase the transformative potential of green hydrogen in achieving sustainable aviation and broader heavy mobility decarbonization goals.