Helios Horizon Reaches New Milestone With Solid-State Batteries

Company makes history with recent test flights in Florida.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, June 08, 2026 at 12:35 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Zach Vasile

Helios Horizon aircraft [Credit: Helios Horizon]

Key Takeaways:

Helios Horizon successfully conducted the first human-piloted flight of an electric airplane powered by solid-state batteries on June 5.
These new solid-state batteries provide significant advantages over lithium-ion, offering double the range and flight times, higher energy density, faster charging, and enhanced safety.
This breakthrough technology is expected to make commercial electric aviation viable and enable stratospheric flights (targeting over 40,000 feet) on a single charge.

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Helios Horizon made aviation history on June 5 with the first flight of a human-piloted electric airplane powered by solid-state batteries. According to the company, the batteries provide double the range and flight times possible with conventional electric-vehicle batteries.

Founder and chief test pilot Miguel Iturmendi designed the Helios Horizon aircraft around a Pipistrel Taurus airframe. The aircraft is equipped with “unique systems for power delivery, battery management, propulsion and thermodynamic control,” the company said. The airframe was also modified with wing extensions and solar panels.