Solar-Powered Plane Successfully Completes Over-Night Flight
The Solar Impulse, a zero-emissions solar-powered plane continues to make significant strides in its development.
Last December the HB-SIA prototype made news when it successfully taxied down a runway. Headlines were made again in April when the plane successfully completed its first flight in Switzerland. Now, the HB-SIA is breaking the presses after completing an over-night flight.
The aircraft took off just before 7 a.m. yesterday in Switzerland, it touched down at 9 a.m. this morning. The plane flew at an altitude of 9,000 meters and averaged 26 miles per hour.
The Solar Impulse's pilot, Andre Borschberg said the 26-hour flight was the most exciting of his 40-year career. Project leader Bertrand Piccard said this momentous achievement made a statement, "Before yesterday morning, we didn't have credibility. It's time to use this success to demonstrate in the political and economic world how we can use this clean technology."
The HB-SIA is powered completely by 12,000 solar cells and sunlight-powered lithium batteries. The plan is to have the Solar Impulse fly around the world in 2013. The next testing step: a flight across the Atlantic.
Read the full story at BusinessWeek: Solar-Powered Aircraft Lands After Overnight Flight
Image courtesy of WINK
Nathanael Baker is the Managing Editor of EnergyBoom. He has researched and reported on the issues of renewable energy, sustainability, and climate change for over two years. He has provided research to the New York Times and The Economist, as well as being published on different media outlets including, The Energy Collective.
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