Perlan

Airbus' Perlan 2 glider is continuing to push the limits of engineless flight, hitting a succession of record altitudes throughout the last week, culminating in a unprecedented 76,000-ft (23,000-m) climb on Sunday.

Airbus's Perlan Mission II took another step to the edge of space yesterday as it set a new record in the skies over Patagonia to become the first engineless glider to soar to over 52,000 ft (15,800 m), surpassing the previous record of 50,727 ft (15,462 m) set by the unpressurized Perlan 1 in 2006.

Airbus's Perlan 2 glider flew higher than ever before this week as it ramps up for its attempt to break the high altitude glider record later this year. The two-person pressurized sailplane made a series of free flights over Patagonia, where it reached a maximum altitude of 32,500 ft (9,900 m).

The Perlan Mission II glider, which is designed to fly higher than the U-2 spy plane and SR-71 Blackbird, has made its maiden flight after separating from its towplane at an altitude of 5,000 feet above Roberts Field at Redmond Municipal Airport in Oregon.