Mission Accomplished, What's Next For Solar Impulse? 7/7/2013, RTT News

Mission Accomplished, What's Next For Solar Impulse?

7/7/2013 9:16 AM ET

Solar Impulse, the first ever plane capable of flying day and night powered exclusively by solar energy, successfully landed at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on July 6 at 11:09 p.m. EDT, marking the conclusion of its epic coast-to-coast journey across the United States.

The historic coast-to-coast flight, known as 2013 Across America Mission, was kicked off on May 3rd in San Francisco, California and culminated in New York on Saturday. The journey took a total of 105h 41min and 3511 miles flown at an average speed of 28.8 knot, according to Solar Impulse website.

The zero-fuel, manned, aircraft involved in the 2013 Across America Mission, is known as HB-SIA, which weighs 1,600 kg, including 400 kg of lithium-ion batteries, and has a wingspan of 208 ft, equal to that of an Airbus A340. The airplane's wings and stabilizer are covered by 11,628 solar cells.

HB-SIA was alternately piloted by Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg during the Across America Mission.

After having achieved a milestone in aviation history by completing the historic coast-to-coast flight, Solar Impulse has its sights set on its next challenge - to fly around the world.

The round-the-world flight will be undertaken in 2015 by Solar Impulse's second generation aircraft, dubbed HB-SIB, which will have a spacious cockpit and increased payload. The construction of HB-SIB started in 2011. The aircraft completed one of the landing gear tests last month.

Commenting on the just concluded mission, Bertrand Piccard, Solar Impulse Initiator, Chairman and pilot said, "Flying coast-to-coast has always been a mythical milestone full of challenges for aviation pioneers. During this journey, we had to find solutions for a lot of unforeseen situations, which obliged us to develop new skills and strategies. In doing so, we also pushed the boundaries of clean technologies and renewable energies to unprecedented levels."

by RTT Staff Writer

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