The solar-powered airplane Solar Impulse 2 landed in Phoenix, Arizona on Monday evening. The historic round-the-world journey will make several more stops in the US.
Pilot André Borschberg was in the cockpit when Solar Impulse 2 took off on Monday morning local time from the Moffett Airfield in Mountain View, California. The flight to Phoenix took just under 16 hours and covered a distance of 1,1199 kilometres.
Borschberg reached a maximum altitude of 6,706 metres and an average speed of 80.15 kilometres per hour. He posted on Twitter that it was an “amazing flight over the Mojave desert”.
After stepping out of the cockpit, Borschberg called the flight “a special flight; not a long flight”. Borschberg made history last July when he flew the Japan-Hawaii leg over the Pacific Ocean and was airborne for nearly 118 hours, smashing the previous world record of 76 hours for a non-stop, solo flight set by Steve Fosset in 2006.
Solar Impulse 2 is powered by 17,248 solar cells, which store energy in four batteries to allow the airplane to fly at night, writes SFGATE. Overheating of the battery system grounded the solar-powered airplane in Hawaii over the winter.
The flight to Phoenix marks the tenth leg of Solar Impulse’s round-the-world journey. Three other stops are planned in the US, including New York. Pilot and Solar Impulse co-founder Bertrand Piccard will pilot the next leg “as soon as possible, weather permitting”.
After reaching the east coast of the US, Solar Impulse 2 will cross the Atlantic Ocean to either Europe or North Africa before finishing its round-the-world journey in Abu Dhabi, where it began its adventure last year.
Solar Impulse and its round-the-world journey seek to demonstrate the potential of renewable energy. The project is supported by numerous Swiss companies including ABB, Swiss Re and Swisscom.
Image credit: © Solar Impulse | Chammartin
