Solar Impulse 2 left Hawaii on 21 April at 6:15 am local time (UTC-10) and landed at the Moffett Airfield on 23 April at 11:44 pm local time (UTC-7), completing its crossing of the Pacific, using only the power of the sun to drive its four motors, a feat considered impossible by industry experts.
Solar Impulse 2 over San Francisco – copyright Solar Impulse
The Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg want to support concrete actions for sustainability and show that the world can be run on clean technologies.
- Solar Impulse grounded until next year (Le News)
- High altitude Solar Impulse selfies (Le News)
At the controls of aircraft, sole-pilot Bertrand Piccard touched down at the Moffett Airfield, home to NASA’s Ames Research Centre and to Google’s Planetary Ventures, after a flight of three days and two nights, covering a distance of 4,523 km.
Solar Impulse 2 completes Pacific crossing – copyright Solar Impulse
The aircraft is capable of flying day and night, powered only by the energy of the sun. The main wing, fuselage and horizontal stabilizer are covered with 17,248 solar cells, powering four lithium batteries, which in turn power four motors.
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