Syensqo and Climate Impulse advance hydrogen aviation, validating key materials and aircraft structures toward a zero-emission round-the-world flight.
Syensqo has marked the second anniversary of its strategic collaboration with Climate Impulse, an ambitious aviation initiative spearheaded by renowned explorers Bertrand Piccard and Raphaël Dinelli. The project aims to accomplish a historic first: a non-stop, zero-emission, round-the-world flight powered entirely by green hydrogen. Over the past two years, the partnership has steadily progressed from concept validation to tangible technological achievements, underscoring the growing feasibility of hydrogen-powered long-range aviation.
Building on the foundation laid during the project’s first year, the collaboration has now reached a significant technical milestone. Syensqo has confirmed that its Aquivion® ion-exchange polymer has been successfully integrated into the fuel cell membrane electrode assembly. This critical component plays a central role in the electrochemical process that converts hydrogen into electricity, directly supporting the aircraft’s range and performance requirements. The validation of Aquivion® within the fuel cell system represents a key step forward in ensuring reliable, efficient power generation for the aircraft’s demanding mission profile.
In parallel, major structural elements of the Climate Impulse aircraft have advanced toward completion. Core components—including the wings, cockpit, and fuselage—have been manufactured using Syensqo’s advanced composite materials at production facilities in Les Sables d’Olonnes, France. These lightweight, high-strength composite solutions are essential to meeting the strict weight and durability constraints associated with hydrogen aviation. According to the project team, assembly of the aircraft, which represents an unprecedented technological challenge, is expected to be finalized by the end of the year. Once completed, initial test flights are scheduled to take place in Châteauroux, France, marking the transition from development to real-world flight validation.
As Climate Impulse’s primary technology partner, Syensqo contributes far more than materials alone. The company brings extensive expertise in advanced materials science, application engineering, and system-level co-development. A major focus of the partnership is the creation of innovative solutions capable of operating under the extreme conditions associated with hydrogen-powered flight, including stringent safety, weight, energy efficiency, and performance demands.
The collaboration is further strengthened by Syensqo’s green hydrogen laboratory in Bollate, Italy. This dedicated facility supports research, testing, and validation across the hydrogen value chain, from materials development to system-level performance assessment. By enabling accelerated testing and early validation, the laboratory helps reduce technological risk and shorten development timelines for emerging hydrogen aviation solutions.
Commenting on the partnership, Syensqo CEO Mike Radossich highlighted the broader significance of the project, noting that Climate Impulse demonstrates how science, innovation, and collaboration can converge to address complex global challenges. He emphasized that the combination of lightweight composite materials and the confirmed use of Syensqo’s ion-exchange polymer at the heart of the aircraft’s power system illustrates how advanced materials can turn the vision of zero-emission global flight into a practical reality.
Bertrand Piccard, Chairman and Initiator of Climate Impulse, echoed this sentiment, describing Syensqo as a vital strategic and technological partner without whom the project could not have been conceived. He noted that together, the partners are proving that high-performance, lightweight materials can enable solutions once thought impossible, including clean, long-range aviation.
Through this non-stop round-the-world mission, Piccard and co-pilot Raphaël Dinelli aim to demonstrate that zero-emission aviation is not a distant aspiration, but an achievable milestone. Aligned with Syensqo’s One Planet roadmap, the project reflects the company’s broader commitment to enabling decarbonization across multiple industries.
