Solar Impulse 2, the would-be first plane to travel around the world powered only by solar energy, took off Saturday for Hawaii from Nanjing, China.
After multiple delays due to unfavorable weather, the solar-powered airplane of Swiss explorers and pilots Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard is attempting to make the multiday flight over the Pacific.
Borschberg, CEO and cofounder of Solar Impulse, is the pilot for Solar Impulse 2 and will be in the air alone for at least five days and five nights, the Solar Impulse 2 crew said.
From Solar Impulse 2’s Mission Control Center in Monaco, Piccard said he hopes his teammate has a safe journey to Hawaii.
“Andre, my solar brother,” Piccard said in a streamed YouTube video. “You are about to accomplish the greatest flight ever of Solar Impulse. You carry the dreams we have been building together.”
Prince Albert II of Monaco and Piccard gave the “go” for Borschberg’s flight to Hawaii from China.
Borschberg will be in constant communication with the control center as he endures five to six consecutive days and nights of highly demanding conditions. He will sleep only 20 minutes every few hours as he pilots the plane, confined to a space slightly larger than an average coat closet.
“Crossing the Pacific from China to Hawaii in Si2 will be the ultimate test of endurance for both the pilot and the plane,” Solar Impulse said in a news release.
Selecting the right window of time to fly was crucial as the plane — with the wingspan of a commercial airliner and the weight of a car — is sensitive to turbu-lence, Solar Impulse said. Replacing the need for
fossil fuels, the single-seater aircraft has 17,000 solar cells built into the wing supply, four electric motors and lithium batteries.
Piccard said he looks forward to Borschberg handing over the plane’s controls, as Piccard will pilot the plane for the next leg of the journey to Phoenix.
“I look forward to seeing you in Hawaii,” Piccard said.
Borschberg’s flight to Hawaii marks the seventh leg of the journey. The pilots need to complete a total of 12 flights in the round-theworld venture.
Solar Impulse 2 left March 9 from Abu Dhabi for the planned 25,000-mile trip around the world.
The journey across the Pacific will be broadcast live at goo.gl/0VhpyP.
