The Solar Impulse 2 is preparing for the most dangerous leg of its trip around the world, flying 5,000 miles over the Pacific from China to Hawaii. Purely electric, the plane uses 17,000 solar cells for fuel by day, keeping charged with onboard batteries to stay airborne by night.
Originally planned to depart Tuesday morning, the Solar Impulse and its pilots remain grounded in Nanjing, China, due to poor weather over the Pacific. The Solar Impulse 2 arrived in Nanjing on April 21.
The Solar Impulse 2 and its pilots began their globe-spanning trip March 9, 2015 in Abu Dhabi, where it will eventually return. If able to close the loop, the plane and its pilots will make records and a strong argument in favor of the pursuit of alternative forms of energy.
Pilots Andre Borschberg & Bertrand Piccard at the first outing in Abu Dhabi of #Si2 | Solar Impulse | Ackermann | Rezo
Pilot Andre Borschberg, a Swiss engineer and former fighter pilot, alternates control of the plane between legs with Bertrand Piccard, a Swiss psychiatrist and explorer.
Both pilots have been trained extensively on how to ditch the plane, should anything go wrong during the days of uninterrupted flight to come over the Pacific.
At night, Borschberg will be able to activate for autopilot for 20-minute naps. He will also practice yoga and use specialized breathing techniques to stay calm.
Upon arriving in Hawaii, Piccard will take over the pilot seat for the flight to Phoenix.
The entire trip is estimated to cover approximately 35,000 km over five months.
"On one hand, you have a tremendous amount of excitement, but there's a certain sense of nervousness," said Gregory Blatt, the team's managing director in an interview with CNN. "What we're doing, no one else has done it before. It's the first ever."
Blatt did not specify when the plane might take off for Hawaii.
For more information on the Solar Impulse 2 and its original design, continue reading with us here.
For more information on the Solar Impulse’s journey, please visit solarimpulse.com.