Conscious Aerospace spreads its hydrogen-powered wings

Conscious Aerospace, a pioneering company in the field of hydrogen-powered aviation, officially opened its new hangar at the Rotterdam The Hague Airport in The Netherlands.  

 In the new hangar, the company can further develop HAPSS (Hydrogen Aircraft Powertrain and Storage Systems) a technology to retrofit existing planes with hydrogen fuel cells. The young company was only established a year ago but has set itself a challenging goal: operating the first commercial flight by 2028.  

InnovationOrigins reports that HAPSS is one of the projects of a development scheme supported by the Netherlands’ government. Like several other projects, HAPPS is financed through the National Growth Fund.  

HAPSS’ technology powers aircraft through a fuel cell system that transforms liquid hydrogen into electricity through electrolysis. Through this process, the aircraft engine gets the electricity it needs to fly. According to Conscious Aerospace batteries are not as efficient as hydrogen. They are heavy and contain less power than H2. Yet, they still represent an option for short-haul flying. But hydrogen can fuel longer travels. Conscious Aerospace claims HAPSS can cover up to 750 km-long journeys.