Solar Impulse 2

Solar Impulse:

        Solar Impulse is a Swiss long range experimental solar-powered aircraft project. This is a privately financed project and is led by Swiss engineer and businessman André Borschberg (R) and Swiss psychiatrist and aeronaut Bertrand Piccard (L), who co-piloted Breitling Orbiter 3, the first balloon to circle the world non-stop.



        So before going to Solar Impulse 2, lets have a short bite about Solar Impulse 1.

Solar Impulse 1:

Solar Impulse 1 HB-SIA landing at Brussels Airport

• The aircraft is single-seat monoplane powered by photovoltaic cells. The Solar Impulse 1 is a prototype and was designed to remain airborne up to 36 hours.
• It conducted its first test flight in December 2009. In July 2010, it flew an entire diurnal solar cycle, in a 26-hour flight.

        Its time to discuss about the record breaking baby,

Solar Impulse 2:

• Solar Impulse 2 is the second aircraft completed in 2014 which carries more solar cells and more powerful motors, among other improvements.
• On March 2015, Piccard and Borschberg began to circumnavigate the globe, departing from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
• It was a multi-stage journey around the world.
• By June 2015, the plane had traversed Asia, and in July 2015, it completed the longest leg of its journey, from Japan to Hawaii.
• During this leg,  the aircraft's batteries sustained thermal damage that took months to repair.

Take off from Hawaii

• Then the aircraft resumed the journey in April 2016.
• It flew to California and then reached New York City in June 2016.
• Finally it returned to Abu Dhabi on 26 July 2016.
• The Journey of 117 hours 52 minutes has set a World Record!

Path of the Travel

After landing, Piccard said "The future is clean. The future is you. The future is now. Let's take it further."