The UK-built Zephyr unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has confirmed its place in aviation history as the "first eternal" plane.
The solar-powered craft has completed two weeks of non-stop flight above a US Army range in Arizona and is now being commanded to make a landing.
The Qinetiq company which developed Zephyr says the UAV has nothing to prove by staying in the air any longer.
It has already smashed all endurance records for an unpiloted vehicle.
"We are just really delighted with the performance," said project manager Jon Saltmarsh.
"It's the culmination of a lot of years of effort from a huge number of really talented scientists and engineers," he told BBC News.
Zephyr took off from the Yuma Proving Ground at 1440 BST (0640 local time) on Friday, 9 July.
After only 31 hours in the air, it had bettered the official world record for a long-duration flight by a drone; but then it kept on going, unencumbered by the need to take on the liquid fuel that sustains traditional aircraft.
BBC News
