From an airstrip just north of Interstate 10 on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, an aviation company recently launched an unmanned plane for a three-day flight, an important milestone on its quest for longer flights using only sunlight as fuel.

Skydweller, the world's largest solar-powered flying drone — its 236-foot wingspan is bigger than a 747 — recently logged flights of 73 and 74 hours after taking off from its operations base at Stennis International Airport just east of the Louisiana-Mississippi state line, the company says.

The eventual goal? Flights of up to 90 days.

Robert Miller, CEO and co-founder of Skydweller Aero, is confident that goal is near.

“It always takes a little longer than you think, but we’re getting there,” Miller said in a recent interview. “Every 12 months we

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