The Solar Impulse 2 has officially started its around-the-world flight attempt with zero fuel, launching from Abu Dhabi early Monday morning.
The Swiss-engineered airplane is completely solar-powered and was actually supposed to begin its journey earlier in March before poor weather conditions forced the flight to be delayed.
Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg will share piloting duties during the 500-hour flight, which will cover 21,748 miles, encompass 12 trips, and is expected to take approximately five months to complete.
Some of you might already be familiar with Piccard and Borschberg because they were responsible for successfully carrying out the first solar-powered flight across the United States in the original Solar Impulse.
The Solar Impulse 2 features wing cells that store energy from the sun, enabling the aircraft to fly around the clock, day and night, if need be.
Furthermore, the single-cabin plane features a 236-foot wingspan layered in 17,248 solar cells that power four electric motors.
If you are interested in checking in on the Solar Impulse 2 as it makes its way into India, China, Southern Europe, and Northern Africa just to name a few stops, you can stay up to date by clicking here.
More Reading:
http://www.industrytap.com/solar-powered-plane-can-it-make-it-around-the-world/360
http://www.industrytap.com/solar-powered-plane-ready-circumnavigate-globe/20608
http://www.industrytap.com/more-than-an-impulse-solar-plane-impulse-2-uses-photons-not-fuel-on-its-maiden-test-voyage/20885
http://www.industrytap.com/solar-impulse-2-prepares-around-world-trip-fuel/20947
