Solar Impulse has launched the first attempt at flying around the world without even a drop of fuel, using the Solar Impulse 2 aircraft that is powered entirely by solar energy.
André Borschberg, the founder of Solar Impulse was flying the solar-powered single-seater aircraft upon takeoff from the Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Bertrand Piccard, the co-founder of Solar Impulse, will take over the controls on stop-overs for a journey that is expected to take several months to finish.
Borschberg and Piccard said that they are looking to establish awareness on the replacement of old, polluting technologies from the past with the efficient and clean technologies of today and the future.
Solar Impulse 2 is expected to arrive at the first stop-over in Muscat, Oman after 10 hours of flying. The first leg is a short one, with certain legs such as flights across the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, expected to last five days or six days with only one pilot at the aircraft's helm.
The solar-powered aircraft is the larger version of the prototype that first saw flights five years ago. The Solar Impulse 2 is constructed from carbon fiber and features 17,248 solar cells in its wings, which provide the aircraft with its needed energy.
According to Solar Impulse, the aircraft has a 72-meter wingspan that is bigger than that of the Boeing 747 but has a weight of only 2,300 kilograms, which is just about as heavy as a car.
After landing on Oman, Solar Impulse 2 will be flying to India before heading to China and Myanmar. The aircraft will then cross the Pacific and land in Hawaii before flying to Arizona and then New York to land at the John F. Kennedy International Airport. The subsequent flight crossing the Atlantic will be dependent on the weather, and could feature a stop in Morocco or southern Europe before completing the journey by landing back at Abu Dhabi.
The around-the-world journey is expected to be completed by late July or August.
The Swiss pilots said that they are looking for celebrities, politicans and private citizens to "confront the Conference on Climate Change of the United Nations, which will define the new Kyoto protocol in December 2015 in Paris." In the conference, the participating countries will discuss a new global climate agreement.
Prince Albert of Monaco, a supporter of the project, was at the Monaco control center during the takeoff of the solar-powered aircraft. Masdar, the clean energy company of the government of Abu Dhabi, is a key sponsor of Solar Impulse, with other supporters being Google, Moet Hennessey and Omega.
