Solar plane Impulse 2 completes world tour
After more than a year, sustainable aircraft manages to fulfill its objective
Image: disclosure
The Solar Impulse 2 (SI-2) plane landed in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, on July 25, completing its long journey around the world that began more than a year ago.
The news was published through the project's official Twitter, with the following message: “Solar Impulse 2 and Bertrand Piccard landed successfully in Abu Dhabi”.
Powered only by batteries that accumulate solar energy, the SI-2 began its round-the-world trip in Abu Dhabi, on March 9, 2015. The aircraft is flown by the Swiss Bertrand Piccard, author of the first transatlantic flight in a capable airplane to fly without fuel, similar to the one used in the current project.
During his journey, Piccard visited Oman (Muscat), India (Varanasi), Myanmar (Mandalay), China (Chongqing and Nanjing), Japan (Nagoya) and several cities in the United States. The last leg of this trip, between Cairo and Abu Dhabi, was announced by Piccard on July 24th.
The SI-2 can reach a maximum speed of 140 km per hour. Its wingspan is 72 meters and the weight is only 2,300 kg, the equivalent of a car. The plane is powered by solar energy collected by more than 17.2 thousand solar cells that cover its wings and fuselage.
In early July it arrived in Hawaii, setting the longest non-stop flight record of 120 hours.
