Around the World on a Solar Plane

The current aircraft, Solar Impulse 2, is a larger follow-on design. Explaining the project to students in Abu Dhabi, Gulf Today reported Borschberg as saying, “Solar Impulse 2…is the first… to cross oceans and continents—remaining in the skies for several days and nights in a row without landing. The aircraft collects energy from the sun while flying throughout the day and stores the energy to enable us to fly throughout the night.” With a wingspan of 72 metres, the aircraft is slightly smaller than an Airbus A380, but, at 2,300 kg, it weighs little more than an average automobile. The 17,248 solar cells will feed energy to the aircraft’s four propellers. Additional energy will be collected and stored in the aircraft’s lithium-polymer batteries. The flight speeds are expected to range from 36 kmph to 140 kmph, with a hightest cruising altitude of 8,500 metres.

The route of the flight will include stops in Oman, Myanmar, China, and the US. After crossing the Atlantic, the final leg will include a stopover either in Southern Europe or North Africa before its return to Abu Dhabi.