This Drone-Like Octocopter Wants To Carry People

Eight rotors, two seats, $200,000 — this giant drone look-alike wants to transform short-distance travel.

Jul 12, 2017
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Electra's EL9 Ultra Short aircraft.
Electra Raises $115 Million for Aircraft that Can Take Off and Land in 150 Feet
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A Boeing company facility.
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A drone hovers in airspace outside the safety perimeter surrounding St. Louis Lambert International Airport as an airliner approaches for a landing on March 10, 2025.
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Today in Manufacturing has a new podcast brought to you by the editors of Industrial Media. In each episode, we discuss the five biggest stories in manufacturing, and the implications they have on the industry moving forward.
April 1, 2025
Electra's EL9 Ultra Short aircraft.
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Electra Raises $115 Million for Aircraft that Can Take Off and Land in 150 Feet
The investment moves the aircraft into pre-production and certification.
April 22, 2025
A Boeing company facility.
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The deal will help the plane maker "focus on core businesses."
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A drone hovers in airspace outside the safety perimeter surrounding St. Louis Lambert International Airport as an airliner approaches for a landing on March 10, 2025.
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Drones Pose Increasing Risk to Airliners Near Major U.S. Airports
Drones have accounted for at least 122 reported near misses.
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Inside L3Harris' expanded Fort Wayne, IN facility.
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The project aligns with the DoD's demand for on-orbit technology designed to protect the U.S.
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The new integration center, located in Madison, Alabama.
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He was sightseeing with his family when the helicopter broke apart in midair.
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The test of Anduril's Hypersonic Solid Rocket Motor.
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Anduril Successfully Test Fires Hypersonic Solid Rocket Motor for the U.S. Navy
The success follows a $75 million investment, expanding its solid rocket motor factory in Mississippi.
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A solid rocket motor.
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RTX's Raytheon Awards Dual-source Contracts For Solid Rocket Motor Development
Awards expand supplier base to better meet growing customer demand.
April 7, 2025
Honda R&D Co., Ltd. has announced plans to test its high-differential pressure water electrolysis system at the International Space Station (ISS) in collaboration with leading space and technology companies Sierra Space and Tec-Masters. The project is part of Honda's vision for a regenerative fuel cell system that could provide advanced energy storage capable of supporting human life on the lunar surface. Honda is leveraging decades of hydrogen fuel cell technology expertise to develop a regenerative fuel cell system, known as a circulative renewable energy system, that will continuously produce oxygen, hydrogen, and electricity. Honda envisions the circulative renewable energy system to be part of the infrastructure for humanity's sustained habitation on the Moon – utilizing the available resources of sunlight and water. By enhancing the performance of the circulative renewable energy system, improvements can be made to long-life regenerative fuel cells that can be used as a scalable, clean, and renewable energy source both in space and on Earth. During the Lunar Day, the system will use electricity generated by the sun to power the process. Honda's high-differential pressure water electrolysis system will then produce hydrogen and oxygen from water. During the Lunar Night, when the Moon is not receiving sunlight, some of the oxygen will be used for astronauts to breathe. The Honda fuel cell system will use the remaining oxygen, along with the hydrogen produced during the Lunar Day, to generate electricity. After the fuel cells generate electricity, the only byproduct is water, which is recycled back into the water electrolysis system to create a closed-loop energy cycle. This process is similar to how a home solar system operates on Earth, where daytime solar electricity is harnessed, and excess energy is stored in home energy batteries to provide power throughout the night. Honda has developed an advanced water electrolysis system designed to support long-term operations on the Moon by prioritizing efficiency and reliability. The system's lightweight and compact design addresses the critical need to reduce transportation costs in lunar development. Additionally, since it doesn't use mechanical compression, maintenance needs are reduced, enhancing reliability for extended missions. By enabling high-pressure gas storage in smaller containers, the system also reduces the need to transport and manage large numbers of tanks. Honda will test the core part of its high-differential pressure water electrolysis system to verify the efficiency and reliability of the system in the microgravity environment of the ISS. For the ISS testing, Honda is collaborating with Sierra Space, a leading commercial space company at the forefront of innovation and the commercialization of space, and Tec-Masters, a leading provider of innovative scientific and technological solutions. Sierra Space will be the primary space mission integrator, working with NASA to transport materials on Sierra Space's Dream Chaser spaceplane, the world's only commercial spaceplane. Tec-Masters will be the ISS technology expert. In late 2024, Honda established the Space Development Division at American Honda to promote technology development in the U.S. and enhance collaboration with the U.S. space industry. The U.S. and Japan teams work closely to leverage Honda core technologies and apply them to the expansion of human activities and development on the Lunar surface. These space development initiatives demonstrate the commitment by Honda to fostering a sustainable future through pioneering technology and collaboration.
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Honda R&D to Conduct Testing with Sierra Space, Tec-Masters on the International Space Station
Honda aims to create a regenerative fuel cell system to support life in space and on Earth.
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Airbus' ExoMars Lander.
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Airbus to Design, Build ESA's ExoMars Rover Lander Platform
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