Worlds first Solar Powered Plane

Worlds first Solar Powered Plane

On 8 July 2010, Solar Impulse 1 achieved the world's first manned 26-hour solar-powered flight. The airplane was flown by Borschberg, and took off at 6:51 a.m. Central European Summer Time on 7 July from Payerne Air Base, Switzerland. After the 8 world records set by the Solar Impulse prototype, when it became the first solar airplane ever to fly through the night, between two continents, and across the United States, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg accomplished the ultimate phase of the adventure.

Solar Impulse II has completed the first solar-powered flight around the world. A solar-powered airplane has circled the globe for the first time, without using any fuel. The Solar Impulse 2 landed in Abu Dhabi more than 16 months after it first took off. It flies at a maximum speed of140 km/h. Dust and rocks can damage them quite a bit and decrease performance. The Solar Impulse 2 will end up costing approximately $170 million, funded mostly by private corporate sponsors and individuals.

The most important part of the mission is generating enough energy to power the flight not only when it's sunny, but also in the dark. For that, the wings of Solar Impulse 2 are covered with 17,000 solar panels, which should gather enough energy to save for night time flying.