Solar Impulse starts night mission
An experimental aircraft that draws its power from the Sun is making its first night flight.
The aim is to assess whether the plane can fly in darkness, using solar cells on its wings to generate enough power to stay in the air for 24 hours.
The plane, which took off from Switzerland, has the weight of a family car but the wingspan of a big airliner.
Pilot André Borscherg, CEO and co-founder of the Solar Impulse project, took the aircraft to an altitude of 8,700m late Wednesday, when the sun’s rays stop being strong enough to supply the solar cells with energy.
The prototype then started a slow descent using energy stored in its batteries until sunrise.
“The big question is whether the pilot can make efficient use of the battery energy to fly throughout the night,” the team said in a statement.
“If this mission is successful, it will be the longest and highest flight ever made by a solar plane.”
The plane, which has 12,000 solar cells, is the latest step in the Solar Impulse project, which Borschberg leads with his business partner and fellow adventurer, Bertrand Piccard.
Ian Jarrett
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