Jakob Ackeret Prize awarded to CELLSIUS for hydrogen aircraft
CELLSIUS,?an association of students at ETH Zurich, has been awarded the Jakob Ackeret?Prize 2025. The award recognises the development of the H2-Sling, a?hydrogen-powered aircraft that, to the best of current knowledge, is the?world’s first fully functional student-built hydrogen aircraft.
With the Jakob Ackeret Prize, the Swiss Association of Aeronautical Sciences honours outstanding achievements in aeronautical research. The prize commemorates Jakob Ackeret, former ETH professor and pioneer in aerodynamics, whose work – including research on the Mach number – has had a lasting impact on the field. The award was presented to the CELLSIUS team of the 2024 / 25 cohort, which developed the H2-Sling as part of the Focus Projects at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering. At the rollout in October 2025, a student team successfully presented a fully functional hydrogenaircraft as a fully integrated system for the first time.
CELLSIUS is an interdisciplinary student association of ETH Zurich dedicated to developing sustainable aviation technologies. Each year, a new team of Bachelor’s students works within the Focus Projects to further develop the existing technology, optimise the aircraft concept, and gain practical experience at the interface of research, engineering, and systems integration.
The H2-Sling is currently undergoing ground testing. The goal is to meet all legal and organisational requirements by around mid-2026, enabling the first flight to take place.
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