Abu Dhabi, UAE – March 9, 2015: The Solar Impulse team in Abu Dhabi guided by Mission Control in Monaco, saw Solar Impulse 2 take-off this morning.
André Borschberg flew the first stage of the round-the-world flight to Muscat in Oman. Piccard will take the reins in Oman and continue onward to Ahmedabad (India). Co-pilots Piccard and Borschberg will take turns flying the single-seater experimental solar aircraft which is able to fly though the night.
It has taken twelve years for Swiss duo, Bertrand Piccard (initiator and chairman) and André Borschberg (founder and CEO), to make their dream a reality.
Solar impulse 2 is capable of flying for several days and nights in a row, essential for crossing the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The aircraft will travel 35,000 kilometres around the world in 25 days over a period of around 5 months.
Solar impulse 2 will travel over the Arabian Sea, India, Myanmar, China and the Pacific Ocean. It will then cross the Atlantic ocean, followed by a stop in Southern Europe or North Africa before completing its circumnavigation of the globe in Abu Dhabi.
The Solar Impulse team hope to build awareness for clean technologies as they travel around the world.
