Could a solar-powered airplane make it around the world?
A team that built a one-seat solar airplane prototype five years ago has produced a new version with 7,200 solar cells, The Associated Press reported. The new aircraft debuted Wednesday at the Payerne Air Force Base in Switzerland.
Called the Solar Impulse 2, the aircraft comes from Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, whose first solar-powered plane successfully flew through the night.
Its innovative technologies come from around 80 companies and are intended to display the power of green energy sources.
The initial prototype soared between two continents and made it across America, and the pilots say the new model could stay airborne indefinitely.
In a statement, Solar Impulse said the new plane was presented as "the ultimate technological and symbolic adventure of flying around the world without fuel, only powered by the sun," Live Science reported.
The Solar Impulse 2 has a 236-foot wingspan that stretches longer than the wings of a Boeing 747 jumbo jet, the AP reported. Belying its impressive size, the solar aircraft weighs just about the same as a large car, or 2.54 tons.
The updated solar-powered model uses lighter materials and runs on more efficient electric motors, Borschberg told the AP.
The team is planning a flight for the Solar Impulse 2 next year, a journey that will be divided into several stages. The plan is for around 20 flying days, which will be allocated over a period of several months since the aircraft flies at a slow speed.
The Solar Impulse 2 will be put through various flight tests this spring and should be taking off for its trip around the world between April and July of 2015, according to Live Science.
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
