In pictures: Solar Impulse 2's epic round-the-world voyage
- Published
Solar Impulse 2 has landed in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, successfully completing the first solar-powered flight around the globe.
Andre Borschberg (left) and Bertrand Piccard, the Swiss founders of the project, took turns to pilot the aircraft during an epic 16-month voyage to promote renewable energy.
"The future is clean. The future is you. The future is now. Let's take it further,'' Mr Piccard said. "I'm sure that within the next 10 years we'll see electric carrying 50 passengers on short- to medium-haul flights."
The 17-stage journey - which began on 9 March, 2015 - covered more than 40,000km (25,000 miles), taking in four continents, three seas and two oceans.
With a cruising speed of no more than 90km/h, the pilots showed mental stamina, tackling vast distances. "We were facing the oceans... We had to build up this mindset, not just the plane and technology," Mr Piccard said.
The longest leg, an 8,924km flight from Nagoya in Japan to Hawaii, lasted nearly 118 hours and saw Mr Borschberg break the absolute world record for longest (time duration) uninterrupted solo flight.
Solar Impulse is a little heavier than a car, but has the wingspan of a Boeing 747. It is powered by 17,000 solar cells. Excess energy is stored in batteries.
The aircraft is very sensitive to the weather, and had to wait for weeks in some countries for the right conditions to present themselves.
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