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| July 8, 2012 | Solar-powered aircraft lands in Spain after 17-hour flight | | Melbourne:
A plane, which was exclusively using the sun’s energy, has touched down in Spain
after a 17-hour flight. The
Solar Impulse took off from Rabat in Morocco and was on its return trip to Switzerland
, News.com.au reported. It had been scheduled to reach Madrid in the wee hours
last Tuesday, but a sudden change in the weather kept it from taking off from
Rabat . The aircraft only weighs 1600 kilos, though it has the same wingspan as
an Airbus, which makes it very dependent on winds and air currents. The prototype,
created by Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, reached Madrid-Barajas before
midnight, but was unable to land for several hours so as not to interfere with
the ordinary operations on the runways. Piccard and Borschberg began this adventure
seven years ago and made the first trial flight in 2009. A year later, the Solar
Impulse made its first real flight and was able to remain in the air day and night
for 26 hours without any kind of fuel. The 12,000 photovoltaic cells that cover
its wings absorb solar energy and transfer it to the aircraft’s four batteries,
which allow it to fly for up to five hours.
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