Solar Impulse, an aircraft powered only by solar energy, has completed its first international flight — from Payerne, Switzerland to Brussels, Belgium.
The plane took off from Payerne at 8:40 a.m. (2:40 a.m. ET) Friday, covered approximately 480 kilometers (300 miles), flying over France and Luxembourg at 3,600 meters (11,880 feet) and landing at the Brussels Airport at around 9 p.m. (3 p.m. ET).
Solar Impulse made its first flight back in April 2010, when it covered 87 miles. However, today’s 12-hour flight was the first real test for the four-engine, 3,500-lb plane, as it required navigation through international air traffic networks.
The Solar Impulse team was led by pilot Andre Borschberg and adventurer Bertrand Piccard. “I feel relieved. For the last month, my biggest nightmare was that the plane would not arrive due to technical problems or due to weather problems,” Piccard said.
Solar Impulse’s next mission is scheduled for June, when the plane is slated to fly to France, where it will be exhibited at the Paris Air Show. The project’s ultimate goal is to be the first solar-powered, piloted, fixed-wing aircraft to circle the Earth.
A video stream of the event, which is still ongoing at the time of writing, with pilots being interviewed after the flight, is available here.
Image courtesy of Solar Impulse
[via Physorg]
