Solar Impulse

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Template:Short description Template:DMCA Template:DMCA Template:Infobox aircraft

Solar Impulse is a Swiss long-range experimental solar-powered aircraft project, and also the name of the project's two operational aircraft.[1] The privately financed project is led by Swiss engineer and businessman André Borschberg and Swiss psychiatrist and balloonist Bertrand Piccard, who co-piloted Breitling Orbiter 3, the first balloon to circle the world non-stop.[2] The Solar Impulse project's goals were to make the first circumnavigation of the Earth by a piloted fixed-wing aircraft using only solar power and to bring attention to clean technologies.[3]

The aircraft is a single-seated monoplane powered by photovoltaic cells; it is capable of taking off under its own power. The prototype, often referred to as Solar Impulse 1, was designed to remain airborne up to 36 hours.[4] It conducted its first test flight in December 2009. In July 2010, it flew an entire diurnal solar cycle, including nearly nine hours of night flying, in a 26-hour flight.[5] Piccard and Borschberg completed successful solar-powered flights from Switzerland to Spain and then Morocco in 2012,[6] and conducted a multi-stage flight across the US in 2013.[7][8]

A second aircraft, completed in 2014 and named Solar Impulse 2, carries more solar cells and more powerful motors, among other improvements. On 9 March 2015, Piccard and Borschberg began to circumnavigate the globe with Solar Impulse 2, departing from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.[9] The aircraft was scheduled to return to Abu Dhabi in August 2015 after a multi-stage journey around the world.[10] By June 2015, the plane had traversed Asia,[11] and in July 2015, it completed the longest leg of its journey, from Japan to Hawaii.[12] During that leg, the aircraft's batteries sustained thermal damage and took months to replace.[13]

A battery cooling system was installed and Solar Impulse 2 resumed the circumnavigation in April 2016, when it flew on to California.[14][15] It continued across the US until it reached New York City in June 2016.[16] Later that month, the aircraft crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Seville, Spain.[17] It stopped in Egypt before returning to Abu Dhabi on 26 July 2016, more than 16 months after it had left (506 days), completing the approximately Template:Cvt first circumnavigation of the Earth by a piloted fixed-wing aircraft using only solar power.[18][19]

In 2019, Solar Impulse 2 was sold to Skydweller Aero, a US-Spanish company using the airframe to develop autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles capable of perpetual flight.[20] It plans to use the aircraft for research and development and flight testing, after which the Solar Impulse 2 will be returned for permanent display at the Swiss Museum of Transport. On 4 May 2026, Solar Impulse 2 crashed in the Gulf of Mexico near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, due to a loss of power.[21]

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Project development and funding

Bertrand Piccard initiated the Solar Impulse project in November 2003 after undertaking a feasibility study in partnership with the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL).[22] As a mechanical engineer, co-founder André Borschberg directed the construction of each aircraft and oversees the preparation of the flight missions.[23] By 2009, they had assembled a multi-disciplinary team of 50 engineers and technical specialists from six countries, assisted by about 100 outside advisers and 80 technological partners.[24][25]

The project is financed by a number of private companies and individuals, as well as receiving around CHF 6 million (US$6.4 million) in funding from the Swiss government.[26] The project's private financial backers include Omega SA, Solvay, Schindler, ABB[27] and Peter Diamandis.[28] The EPFL, the European Space Agency and Dassault have provided technical expertise, while SunPower provided the aircraft's photovoltaic cells.[29][30]

Piccard stated that the entire project from its beginnings in 2003 until mid-2015 had cost €150 million.[31] It raised another €20 million in late 2015 to continue the round-the-world flight.[32]

Timeline

  • 2002:[33] Feasibility study at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
  • 2004–2005: Development of the concept
  • 2006: Simulation of long-haul flights
  • 2006–09: Construction of first prototype (HB-SIA; Solar Impulse 1)
  • 2009: First flight of Solar Impulse 1
  • 2009–11: Manned test flights[34]
  • 2011–12: Further test flights through Europe and North Africa
  • 2011–13: Construction of second prototype (HB-SIB; Solar Impulse 2)
  • 2013: Continental flight across the US by Solar Impulse 1[1][7][8]
  • 2014: First flight of Solar Impulse 2
  • 2015–2016: Circumnavigation of the Earth by Solar Impulse 2, conducted in seventeen stages over 16-1/2 months[19]

Solar Impulse 1 (HB-SIA)

File:Cockpit HB-SIA.jpg
Solar Impulse 1 – fuselage and motors
File:Prototype HB-SIA.jpg
Solar Impulse 1 – wing structure

The first Solar Impulse aircraft, registered as HB-SIA, was primarily designed as a demonstration aircraft. It has a non-pressurized cockpit and a single wing with a wingspan similar to that of the Airbus A340 airliner. Under the wing are four nacelles, each with a set of lithium polymer batteries, a 7.5 kW (10 hp) electric motor and one twin-bladed propeller. To keep the wing as light as possible, a customised carbon fibre honeycomb sandwich structure was used.[35] 11,628 photovoltaic cells on the upper wing surface and the horizontal stabilizer generate electricity during the day to power the electric motors and to charge the batteries allowing flight at night, theoretically enabling the single-seat plane to stay in the air indefinitely.[36][37]

The aircraft's major design constraint is the capacity of the lithium polymer batteries. Over an optimum 24-hour cycle, the motors can deliver a combined average of about 6 kW (8 hp), roughly the power used by the Wright brothers' Flyer, the first successful powered aircraft, in 1903.[35] In addition to the charge stored in its batteries, the aircraft uses the potential energy of height gained during the day to power its night flights.[38]

Specifications

Data from Solar Impulse Project[35] and Diaz[39]

General characteristics

PerformanceTemplate:Aircraft specs/speedTemplate:Aircraft specs/speedTemplate:Aircraft specs/speedTemplate:Aircraft specs/speedTemplate:Aircraft specs/speedTemplate:Aircraft specs/rangeTemplate:Aircraft specs/rangeTemplate:Aircraft specs/range

Operational history

Maiden flight and other early flights

File:Flea Hop HB-SIA - Solar Impulse.jpg
Solar Impulse 1 during its first "flea hop" test flight in Dübendorf on 3 December 2009

On 26 June 2009, Solar Impulse 1 was first presented to the public at the Dübendorf Air Base, Switzerland. Following taxi testing, a short-hop test flight was made on 3 December 2009,[40] piloted by Markus Scherdel.[41] Borschberg, co-leader of the project team, said of the flight:

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"It was an unbelievable day. The airplane flew for about 350 metres (1,150 ft) and about 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) above the ground ... The aim was not to get high but to land on the same runway at a speed to test its controllability and get a first feeling of its flying characteristics ... the craft behaved just as the engineers had hoped. It is the end of the engineering phase and the start of the flight testing phase."[41]

On 7 April 2010, the plane conducted an 87-minute test flight, piloted by Markus Scherdel. This flight reached an altitude of 1,200 m (3,937 ft).[42][43] On 28 May 2010, the aircraft made its first flight powered entirely by solar energy, charging its batteries in flight.[44]

First overnight flight

On 8 July 2010, Solar Impulse 1 achieved the world's first manned 26-hour solar-powered flight.[45][46][47] The airplane was flown by Borschberg, and took off at 06:51 Central European Summer Time (UTC+2) on 7 July from Payerne Air Base, Switzerland. It returned for a landing the following morning at 09:00 local time.[48] During the flight, the plane reached a maximum altitude of 8,700 m (28,500 ft).[49] At the time, the flight was the longest and highest ever flown by a manned solar-powered aircraft; these records were officially recognized by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) in October 2010.[50][51]

International and intranational flights

Belgium and France (2011)
File:Solar Impulse Bruxelles 2011.jpg
Solar Impulse 1 at Brussels Airport in May 2011

On 13 May 2011 at 21:30 local time, the plane landed at Brussels Airport, after completing a 13-hour flight from its home base in Switzerland. It was the first international flight by the Solar Impulse, which flew at an average altitude of 1,800 m (6,000 ft) for a distance of 630 km (391 mi), with an average speed of 50 km/h (31 mph). The aircraft's slow cruising speed required operating at a mid-altitude, allowing much faster air traffic to be routed around it.[52] The aircraft was piloted by Borschberg. The project's other co-founder, Piccard, said in an interview after the landing: "Our goal is to create a revolution in the minds of people...to promote solar energies – not necessarily a revolution in aviation."[53][54]

A second international flight to the Paris Air Show was attempted on 12 June 2011, but the plane turned back and returned to Brussels because of adverse weather conditions.[55] In a second attempt on 14 June, Borschberg successfully landed the aircraft at Paris' Le Bourget Airport after a 16-hour flight.[56]

First intercontinental flight (2012)

On 5 June 2012, the Solar Impulse successfully completed its first intercontinental flight, a 19-hour trip from Madrid, Spain, to Rabat, Morocco.[6] During the first leg of the flight from Payerne Air Base to Madrid, the aircraft broke several further records for solar flight, including the longest solar-powered flight between pre-declared waypoints (1,099.3 km or 683 mi) and along a course (1,116 km or 693 mi).[57]

United States (2013)
File:Solar Impulse JFK July 14 2013.jpg
Solar Impulse 1 on display at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, on 14 July 2013

On 3 May 2013, the plane began its cross-US flight with a journey from Moffett Field in Mountain View, California, to Phoenix Goodyear Airport in Arizona. Successive legs of the flight ended at Dallas-Fort Worth airport, Lambert–St. Louis International Airport,[58] Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport to change pilots and avoid strong winds,[59] and Washington Dulles International Airport.[60] On 6 July 2013, following a lengthy layover in Washington, Solar Impulse completed its cross-country journey, landing at New York City's JFK International Airport at 23:09 EDT.[8][61] The landing occurred three hours earlier than originally intended, because a planned flyby of the Statue of Liberty was cancelled as a result of damage to the covering on the left wing.[8]

Each flight leg took between 14 and 22 hours.[7][62] The aircraft's second leg of its trip on 23 May to Dallas-Fort Worth covered 1,541 kilometres (958 mi) and set several new world distance records in solar aviation.[63] Solar Impulse 1 was placed on public display at JFK after its landing. In August 2013, it was disassembled, then transported via a Cargolux B-747-400F to Dübendorf Air Base, where it was placed in storage in a hangar.

Detailed route

Source:[64]

Leg Start[65] Stop Origin Destination Distance Flight time Avg. speed Pilot
1  3 May 14:12  4 May 08:30 Moffett Field, California (KNUQ) Phoenix, Arizona (KGYR) 984 km 18 h 18 min 53 km/h Bertrand Piccard
2 22 May 12:47 23 May 07:08 Phoenix, Arizona (KGYR) Dallas, Texas (KDFW) 1541 km 18 h 21 min 84 km/h André Borschberg
3  3 Jun 10:06  4 Jun 07:28 Dallas, Texas (KDFW) Saint Louis, Missouri (KSTL) 1040 km 21 h 22 min 49 km/h Bertrand Piccard
4 14 Jun 11:01 15 Jun 02:15 Saint Louis, Missouri (KSTL) Cincinnati, Ohio (KLUK) 15 h 14 min André Borschberg
5 15 Jun 15:10 16 Jun 05:15 Cincinnati, Ohio (KLUK) Washington, DC (KIAD) 14 h 5 min Bertrand Piccard
6  6 July 09:56  7 July 05:15 Washington, DC (KIAD) New York City, New York (KJFK) 19 h 19 min André Borschberg

Aircraft on display

In March 2015, the plane was transported by truck to Paris to be part of the permanent exhibition at Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie.[66]

Solar Impulse 2 (HB-SIB)

File:Solar Impulse SI2 pilote Bertrand Piccard Payerne November 2014.jpg
Solar Impulse 2 at the Payerne Air Base in November 2014

Construction history

Construction started in 2011 on the second aircraft, known as Solar Impulse 2, which carries the Swiss registration HB-SIB. Completion was initially planned for 2013, with a 25-day circumnavigation of the globe planned for 2014. A structural failure occurred on the aircraft's main spar during static tests in July 2012, leading to delays in the flight testing schedule to allow repairs. Solar Impulse 2Template:'s first flight took place at Payerne Air Base on 2 June 2014.[67]

Design

The wingspan of Solar Impulse 2 is 71.9 m (236 ft), slightly less than that of an Airbus A380, the world's largest passenger airliner,[39] but compared with the 500-tonne A380,[68] the carbon-fibre Solar Impulse weighs only about 2.3 tonnes (5,100 lb), little more than an average SUV.[69] It features a non-pressurized cockpit 3.8 cubic metres (130 cu ft) in size[70] and advanced avionics, including limited functionality of an autopilot that allows the pilot to sleep for up to 20 minutes at a time,[71] enabling multi-day transcontinental and trans-oceanic flights.[24] Supplemental oxygen and various other environmental support systems allow the pilot to cruise up to an altitude of 12,000 metres (39,000 ft).[39]

Specifications

File:Solar Impulse-IMG 8410.jpg
Flight suits worn on Solar Impulse

Data from Solar Impulse Project[25]

General characteristics

PerformanceTemplate:Aircraft specs/speedTemplate:Aircraft specs/speedTemplate:Aircraft specs/speedTemplate:Aircraft specs/speedTemplate:Aircraft specs/speedTemplate:Aircraft specs/rangeTemplate:Aircraft specs/rangeTemplate:Aircraft specs/rangeTemplate:Aircraft specs/convertTemplate:Aircraft specs/convertTemplate:Aircraft specs/convertTemplate:Aircraft specs/convertTemplate:Aircraft specs/convertTemplate:Aircraft specs/convert

Operational history

Solar Impulse 2 was first publicly displayed on 9 April 2014.[25] Its inaugural flight took place on 2 June 2014, piloted by Markus Scherdel.[72] The aircraft averaged a ground speed of 30 knots (56 km/h), and reached an altitude of 1,700 metres (5,500 ft).[73] The first night flight was completed on 26 October 2014, and the aircraft reached its maximum altitude during a flight on 28 October 2014.

2015–16 circumnavigation of the Earth

File:SolarImpulse2Route.jpg
Circumnavigation route of Solar Impulse 2

The repair work to the aircraft's main spar delayed Solar Impulse 2Template:'s circumnavigation of the Earth from 2012 to 2015.[74] The aircraft was delivered to Masdar City in Abu Dhabi for the World Future Energy Summit in late January 2015,[75] and it began the journey from Al Bateen Executive Airport on 9 March 2015.[9][76] It was scheduled to return to the same location in August 2015.[10][77] A mission control centre for the circumnavigation was established in Monaco, using satellite links to gather real-time flight telemetry and remain in constant contact with the aircraft and the support team.[78] The route followed by Solar Impulse 2 was entirely in the Northern Hemisphere. It left Abu Dhabi, then it headed east to nearby Oman and India.[77][79] Twelve stops were originally planned along the route, with pilots Borschberg and Piccard alternating; at each stop, the crew awaited good weather conditions along the next leg of the route.[80] For most of its time airborne, Solar Impulse 2 cruised at a ground speed of between 50 and 100 kilometres per hour (31 and 62 mph), usually at the slower end of that range at night to save power. Legs of the flight crossing the Pacific and Atlantic oceans were the longest stages of the circumnavigation, taking up to five days and nights.[10][81] On multi-day flights, the pilots took 20-minute naps and used yoga or other exercises to promote blood flow and maintain alertness.[70]

File:Solar Impulse 2 Oahu Hawaii April 2016.jpg
Solar Impulse 2 in its hangar in Hawaii, 2016

By the end of May 2015, the plane had traversed Asia.[82] It made an unscheduled stop in Japan to await favourable weather over the Pacific, increasing the expected number of legs of the journey to 13.[11][83] The aircraft began the flight from Japan to Hawaii on 28 June 2015 (29 June, Japan local time).[84] With Borschberg in the cockpit, it reached Hawaii on 3 July, setting new records for the world's longest solar-powered flight both by time (117 hours, 52 minutes) and distance (7,212 km; 4,481 mi). The flight's duration was also a record for longest solo flight, by time, for any aircraft.[12][85][86] During that leg the plane's batteries were damaged by overheating because they were packed in too much insulation. New parts had to be ordered, and as it was late in the season, with days shortening in the northern hemisphere, the plane was grounded in Hawaii. The US Department of Transportation stored the aircraft in a hangar at Kalaeloa Airport on Oahu.[87][88] New batteries were made and installed in the plane. Test flights began in February 2016[89] to prepare for resumption of the circumnavigation once northern hemisphere days lengthened enough to permit multi-day solar-powered flights.[13][32] A favourable weather window opened in April 2016, and the plane resumed its journey,[14][90] landing at Moffett Field, in California, on 23 April.[15] During that flight, Piccard, via a live videolink, spoke with Ban Ki-moon and Doris Leuthard before the General Assembly of the United Nations, from the cockpit of Solar Impulse 2, commenting on that day's historic signing of the Paris Agreement and discussing how using clean technologies can create jobs and fight global warming.[91] Additional legs of the flight were added in the US as Solar Impulse 2 flew to Phoenix, Arizona,[92][93] Tulsa, Oklahoma,[94] Dayton, Ohio,[95] Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania[96] and New York City, arriving there on 11 June 2016.[16] Piccard piloted the aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean, arriving in Seville, Spain, on 23 June.[17] The aircraft next stopped in Cairo, Egypt, on 13 July,[18] and landed in Abu Dhabi on 26 July, completing the around-the-world trip in a total of 17 stages and 16-1/2 months; it was the first circumnavigation of the Earth by a piloted fixed-wing aircraft using only solar power.[19]

Detailed route

Leg Start[97] Origin Destination Flight time Page Template:Tooltip/styles.css has no content.Template:Encodefirst Avg. speed Max. altitude Pilot
1 9 March 2015 03:12 Template:Flagicon Abu Dhabi, UAE (OMAD) Template:Flagicon Muscat, Oman (OOMS) 13 h 1 min 417 nmi (772 km) 32.0 kn (59.2 km/h) 20,942 ft (6,383 m) A. Borschberg[98]
2 10 March 02:35 Template:Flagicon Muscat, Oman (OOMS) Template:Flagicon Ahmedabad, India (VAAH) 15 h 20 min 860 nmi (1,593 km)[99] 56.1 kn (103.9 km/h) 29,114 ft (8,874 m) B. Piccard[100]
3 18 March 01:48 Template:Flagicon Ahmedabad, India (VAAH) Template:Flagicon Varanasi, India (VEBN) 13 h 15 min 630 nmi (1,170 km) 47.7 kn (88.3 km/h) 17,001 ft (5,182 m) Borschberg[101]
4 18 March 23:52 Template:Flagicon Varanasi, India (VEBN) Template:Flagicon Mandalay, Myanmar (VYMD) 13 h 29 min 829 nmi (1,536 km) 61.5 kn (113.9 km/h) 27,000 ft (8,230 m) Piccard[102]
5 29 March 21:06 Template:Flagicon Mandalay, Myanmar (VYMD) Template:Flagicon Chongqing, China (ZUCK) 20 h 29 min 883 nmi (1,636 km) 43.1 kn (79.9 km/h) 28,327 ft (8,634 m) Piccard[103]
6 20 April 22:06 Template:Flagicon Chongqing, China (ZUCK) Template:Flagicon Nanjing, China (ZSNJ) 17 h 22 min 747 nmi (1,384 km) 43.0 kn (79.7 km/h) 14,010 ft (4,270 m) Piccard[104]
7 30 May 18:39 Template:Flagicon Nanjing, China (ZSNJ) Template:Flagicon Nagoya, JapanN1 (RJNA) 44 h 9 min 1,589 nmi (2,942 km) 36.0 kn (66.6 km/h) 28,327 ft (8,634 m) Borschberg[11][105]
8 28 June 18:03 Template:Flagicon Nagoya, Japan (RJNA) Template:Flagicon Kalaeloa, Hawaii, US (PHJR) 117 h 52 min 4,819 nmi (8,924 km) 40.9 kn (75.7 km/h) 28,327 ft (8,634 m) Borschberg[85][106]
9 21 April 2016 16:15 Template:Flagicon Kalaeloa, Hawaii, US (PHJR) Template:Flagicon Mountain View, CA, US (KNUQ) 62 h 29 min 2,206 nmi (4,086 km) 35.3 kn (65.4 km/h) 28,327 ft (8,634 m) Piccard[14][107]
10 2 May 12:03 Template:Flagicon Mountain View, CA, US (KNUQ) Template:Flagicon Phoenix, AZ, US (KGYR) 15 h 52 min 601 nmi (1,113 km) 37.9 kn (70.2 km/h) 22,001 ft (6,706 m) Borschberg[108]
11 12 May 11:05 Template:Flagicon Phoenix, AZ, US (KGYR) Template:Flagicon Tulsa, OK, US (KTUL) 18 h 10 min 850 nmi (1,570 km) 46.7 kn (86.4 km/h) 22,001 ft (6,706 m) Piccard[109]
12 21 May 09:22 Template:Flagicon Tulsa, OK, US (KTUL) Template:Flagicon Dayton, OH, US (KDAY) 16 h 34 min 647 nmi (1,199 km) 39.1 kn (72.4 km/h) 21,001 ft (6,401 m) Borschberg[110]
13 25 May 08:02 Template:Flagicon Dayton, OH, US (KDAY) Template:Flagicon Lehigh Valley, PA, US (KABE) 16 h 49 min 564 nmi (1,044 km) 33.6 kn (62.2 km/h) 15,000 ft (4,572 m) Piccard[111]
14 11 June 03:18 Template:Flagicon Lehigh Valley, PA, US (KABE) Template:Flagicon New York, NY, US (KJFK) 4 h 41 min 143 nmi (265 km) 30.6 kn (56.6 km/h) 3,002 ft (915 m) Borschberg[112]
15 20 June 06:30 Template:Flagicon New York, NY, US (KJFK) Template:Flagicon Seville, Spain (LEZL) 71 h 8 min 3,653 nmi (6,765 km) 50.9 kn (94.3 km/h) 27,999 ft (8,534 m) Piccard[113]
16 11 July 04:20 Template:Flagicon Seville, Spain (LEZL) Template:Flagicon Cairo, Egypt (HECA) 48 h 50 min 2,022 nmi (3,745 km) 41.4 kn (76.7 km/h) 27,999 ft (8,534 m) Borschberg[114]
17 23 July 2016 23:28 Template:Flagicon Cairo, Egypt (HECA) Template:Flagicon Abu Dhabi, UAE (OMAD) 48 h 37 min 1,455 nmi (2,694 km) 29.9 kn (55.4 km/h) 27,999 ft (8,534 m) Piccard[115]
Total 558 h 7 min
(23.25 d) 		22,915 nmi (42,438 km) 41.0 kn (76.0 km/h) 29,114 ft (8,874 m)
Notes:

Post-flight sale

In September 2019 the Solar Impulse 2 aircraft was sold to Skydweller Aero, a Spanish-American company that was developing autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles capable of continuous flight and "carrying radar, electronic optics, telecommunications devices, telephone listening and interception systems".[116] As part of this sale, the Solar Impulse 2 aircraft was transferred from Switzerland to Spain.[117][118] In February 2023, Skydweller Aero conducted its first autonomous flight in Spain before transferring the aircraft to southern Mississippi in 2024 where it conducted the world's first uncrewed autonomous flight of a solar aircraft.[119] The company intends to build a fleet of aircraft to operate year-round in latitudes between Miami (26°N) to Rio de Janeiro (23°S).[120] Uncrewed and autonomous, these aircraft will be able to perform military missions and commercial tasks unachievable to manned aircraft and at far less cost than satellites.[121]

In 2024, Skydweller Aero announced plans to fly an aircraft nonstop around the world.[122]

On 4 May 2026, Solar Impulse 2 crashed in the Gulf of Mexico near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, after a loss of power.[21] No one was on board.[123]

Honours

In 2015, Swissmint issued a special commemorative coin in anticipation of the Earth circumnavigation mission.[124]

In 2016, the Swiss Post edited a special stamp to honour the achievement of Solar Impulse 2.[125]

See also

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Notes and references

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  31. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Herrmann, Joshi (27 July 2015). "Solar Impulse's troubled round-the-world flight: 'We need to raise €20m'". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  32. ^ a b Al Wasmi, Naser. "Exclusive: Solar Impulse headed back to Abu Dhabi the long way round", The National, 8 January 2016
  33. ^ Solar Impulse. 2020. Solar Impulse - Around The World To Promote Clean Technologies. [online] Available at: <https://aroundtheworld.solarimpulse.com/our-story/milestone-feasibility-study> [Accessed 10 March 2020].
  34. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lipsey, Sid (4 February 2015). "Secrets of the Solar-Powered Plane That Might Make History". Yahoo. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  35. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Around the World in a Solar Airplane" (PDF). Solar Impulse. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  36. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Engeler, Eliane (8 July 2010). "Solar plane lands after completing 24-hour flight". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
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  38. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Description of HB-SIA". SolarImpulse.com. 22 June 2010. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  39. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Diaz, Jesus (23 May 2007). "Solar Impulse: Around the World in a 100% Sun-powered Airplane". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on 14 August 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
  40. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Palmer, Jason (3 December 2009). "Record solar plane's first 'hop'". BBC. Retrieved 4 December 2009.
  41. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Simonite, Tom (3 December 2009). "Solar-powered piloted plane makes its first 'flea hop'". New Scientist. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  42. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Swiss team makes 1st test flight of prototype for round-the-world solar flight". Los Angeles Times. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2010.[dead link]
  43. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar Airplane Completes Maiden Voyage". Wired. 7 April 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  44. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Grady, Mary (May 2010). "Solar Impulse Flies on Pure Sunlight". Archived from the original on 4 June 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
  45. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Maron, Dina Fine (6 July 2010). "Swiss Team to Launch Solar Night Flight". The New York Times. ClimateWire. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  46. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar Impulse completes record-breaking flight". The Daily Telegraph. London. 8 July 2010. Archived from the original on 9 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  47. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Paur, Jason (7 July 2010). "Solar Airplane to Fly Through the Night (Tonight!)". Wired. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  48. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.van Loon, Jeremy (8 July 2010). "Solar-Powered Plane Lands Safely After Overnight Flight". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Archived from the original on 13 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  49. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar-powered plane lands safely after 26-hour flight". BBC. 8 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  50. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cowell, Alan (8 July 2010). "Solar-Powered Plane Flies for 26 Hours". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  51. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The FAI ratifies Solar Impulse's World Records". Archived from the original on 27 January 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  52. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar Impulse: Premier vol international réussi pour l'avion solaire" (in français). Planet Techno Science. 14 May 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
  53. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Davidson, Osha Gray (13 May 2011). "Solar-Powered Airplane Makes Historic Flight". Forbes. Retrieved 13 May 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  54. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Niles, Russ (May 2011). "Solar Impulse Crosses Border". AvWeb. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  55. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."A setback for Solar Impulse: the solar plane favours safety and heads back to Brussels". June 2011. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  56. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Marisa, Krystian (June 2011). "Solar Impulse Plane: A Rare Treat For Crowds in Paris". Retrieved 15 June 2011.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  57. ^ Solar Impulse’s HB-SIA obtains two new world records Script error: No such module "webarchive".. SolarImpulse.com. 26 September 2012. See also: FAI Record ID #16558 Script error: No such module "webarchive". and FAI Record ID #16560 Script error: No such module "webarchive"..
  58. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar Impulse lands in St Louis in trans-America bid". BBC. 4 June 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
  59. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Two hops for trans-US solar plane". BBC. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  60. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Trans-US solar plane reaches Dulles". BBC. 16 June 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  61. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar Powered Plane Finishes Journey, Lands in NYC". Associated Press. 7 July 2013. Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  62. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar plane leaves Calif. on cross-country trip". Daytona Beach News Journal. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  63. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar plane completes 2nd leg of trip in Texas". Associated Press. 23 May 2013. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.; Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar Plane Completes Longest Leg of Cross-Country Flight". Yahoo News. 23 May 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.; Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."FAI Record ID #16815 – Straight distance, pre-declared waypoints". FAI. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.; Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."FAI Record ID #16817 – Free Distance". FAI. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.; and Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."FAI Record ID #16816 – Distance along a course, pre-declared waypoints". FAI. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  64. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Across America Event Summary". Solar Impulse. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  65. ^ All start times are given as UTC, and all start dates are 2013.
  66. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar Impulse 1 s'expose". Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  67. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."First Flight for Solar Impulse 2". Sport Aviation: 14. July 2014.
  68. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar-powered Swiss plane attempts flight around world". Al Jazeera. 9 March 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  69. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar Impulse 2 lands in Egypt in penultimate stop of its world tour". The Guardian. 13 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  70. ^ a b Reisinger, Don. "Solar-powered plane embarks on longest leg of round-the-world flight", CNET, 29 June 2015
  71. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Paur, Jason (23 February 2012). "After 60 Hours in Cockpit, Pilot of Solar Impulse Feels 'Better Than Expected'". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  72. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar plane makes inaugural flight". BBC. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  73. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar Impulse Flies Aircraft For Round-the-World Attempt". Aviation Week & Space Technology. 9 June 2014. p. 14.
  74. ^ Timeline: "Without a spar, what's next?" Script error: No such module "webarchive"., Solar Impulse, 19 July 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2013
  75. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Our Adventure". Solar Impulse. Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  76. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Schreck, Adam (20 January 2015). "Solar plane pioneers lay out round-the-world flight plan". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  77. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mudallal, Zainab (16 January 2015). "This solar-powered airplane is about to take its first around-the-world flight". Quartz. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  78. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar Impulse launches Mission Control Center in Monaco". ABB Conversations. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  79. ^ "Solar Impulse lands in California after Pacific crossing", BBC, 24 April 2016
  80. ^ Molko, David. "Solar-powered plane on round-the-world flight gets stuck in China", CNN, 17 April 2015
  81. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Keyrouz, Wissam (7 March 2015). "Solar plane revs up for historic round-the-world flight". AFP via Yahoo. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  82. ^ Amos, Jonathan. "Solar Impulse plane begins Pacific crossing", BBC News, 31 May 2015
  83. ^ Randall, Tom. "This Plane Runs on Sun and Is About to Smash Some Records", Bloomberg L.P., 15 June 2015
  84. ^ Morelle, Rebecca. "Solar Impulse begins second bid to cross Pacific Ocean", BBC News, 28 June 2015
  85. ^ a b The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) website states that the "Free distance along course" was 7,039.9 km. FAI Record ID #17595 Script error: No such module "webarchive"., Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Retrieved 29 July 2015
  86. ^ The FAI does not record this record as official, since the FAI does not have an "any aircraft" category. See "FAI records page", Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, 29 July 2015
  87. ^ Amos, Jonathan. "Solar Impulse grounded until 2016", BBC, 15 July 2015
  88. ^ Molko, Davis. "Solar Impulse: Plane's pilots ground record-setting attempt until 2016", CNN, 15 July 2015
  89. ^ "Solar Impulse plane makes first maintenance flight in Hawaii", Phys.org, 28 February 2016
  90. ^ Delony, Jennifer. "Solar Impulse Live: Solar Airplane Pilot Gives Interview While Flying from Hawaii to California", RenewableEnergyWorld.com, 22 April 2016
  91. ^ Morosini, Marco. "A majestic solar dragonfly landed in San Francisco – Is this the future?", The Huffington Post, 28 April 2016; and "Live conversation between UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon & Bertrand Piccard", Solar Impulse, YouTube, 22 April 2016
  92. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Amos, Jonathan (2 May 2016). "Solar Impulse aeroplane reaches Phoenix, Arizona". BBC News.
  93. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Chappell, Bill (3 May 2016). "Solar Airplane Lands in Phoenix After Flight From Silicon Valley". NPR. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  94. ^ Ryburn, Stacy. "Solar plane lands at Tulsa International Airport", Tulsa World, 12 May 2016
  95. ^ "Solar Impulse 2 Lands in Ohio to Complete Latest Leg of Global Trip", NBC, 21 May 2016
  96. ^ "Solar Impulse 2 Lands in Pennsylvania in Latest Leg of Global Journey", NBC, 25 May 2016
  97. ^ All start times are given as UTC. All start dates for legs 1 to 8 are 2015; start dates for legs 9 to 17 are 2016.
  98. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Leg 1: Abu Dhabi to Muscat". Solar Impulse.
  99. ^ Solar Impulse team records the distance as 1,593 km. The FAI website states that the "Straight Distance – pre-declared waypoints" was 1,468 km. FAI "Record ID #17429" Script error: No such module "webarchive"., Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Retrieved 1 August 2015
  100. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Leg 2: Muscat to Ahmedabad". Solar Impulse. Archived from the original on 19 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  101. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Leg 3: Ahmedabad to Varanasi". Solar Impulse.
  102. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Leg 4; Varanasi to Mandalay". Solar Impulse. Archived from the original on 6 November 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  103. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Leg 5: Mandalay to Chongqing". Solar Impulse.
  104. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Leg 6: Chongqing to Nanjing". Solar Impulse. Archived from the original on 16 October 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  105. ^ The FAI website states that the "Free distance along course" was 2614.5 km. FAI "Record ID #17558" Script error: No such module "webarchive"., Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. Retrieved 29 July 2015
  106. ^ "Leg 8: Nagoya to Hawaii" Script error: No such module "webarchive"., Solar Impulse. Retrieved 29 July 2015
  107. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Leg 9: Hawaii to Mountain View". Solar Impulse. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  108. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Leg 10: San Francisco to Phoenix". Solar Impulse. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  109. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Leg 11: Phoenix to Tulsa". Solar Impulse.
  110. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Leg 12: Tulsa to Dayton". Solar Impulse.
  111. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Leg 13: Dayton to Lehigh Valley". Solar Impulse.
  112. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Leg 14: Lehigh Valley to New York". Solar Impulse.
  113. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Leg 15: New York to Seville". Solar Impulse.
  114. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Leg 16: Seville to Cairo". Solar Impulse.
  115. ^ "We Are in Abu Dhabi", Solar Impulse, 26 July 2016
  116. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Renfer, Marc; Dieuaide, Yann (23 November 2020). "Solar Impulse to be reborn as a military-linked project".
  117. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Solar Impulse to start 'second life' in Spain". 11 September 2019.
  118. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lebleu, Tristan (11 September 2019). "A Second Life for the Solar Impulse (Si2) Airplane" (Press release). Solar Impulse.
  119. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Molyneaux, Ian (5 April 2024). "World's first unmanned large solar aircraft takes flight". Aerotime.
  120. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Graham Warwick (7 February 2023). "Solar-Powered Skydweller Completes First Autonomous Flights". Aviation Week.
  121. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Skydweller on mission to fly uncrewed solar aircraft autonomously nonstop around the world". 25 July 2024.
  122. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Skydweller - Perpetual Flight". 2 September 2024.
  123. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.swissinfo.ch, S. W. I. (8 May 2026). "Solar Impulse aircraft destroyed in Gulf of Mexico crash". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  124. ^ "Twenty Francs 2015 Solar Impulse" (page visited on 21 February 2024).
  125. ^ Template:In lang "La Poste rend hommage à « Solar Impulse 2 » avec un timbre commémoratif", press release of the Swiss Post published on 27 July 2016 (page visited on 7 September 2016).

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