An experimental solar-powered aircraft launched on Wednesday has landed safely in Switzerland after successfully flying through the night.
The feat is a step toward the makers’ aim of circling the globe using the power of the Sun to fuel the plane.
The four-engine aircraft was steered by Andre Borschberg, a former fighter jet pilot from Switzerland.
The aircraft used super-efficient solar cells and batteries to stay in the air after the Sun’s rays had faded. 12,000 solar cells arranged on its wingspan which collected enough energy to power the plane for the flight.
During the flight it reached a height of 8,700 m (28,543 ft) and the plane landed at Payerne airport after a total flight time of 26 hours, an airfield about 30 miles (50 km) from the Swiss capital Bern.
It is the longest and highest flight recorded by a solar-powered plane.
Assistants rushed to stabilize the experimental aircraft as it touched down, ensuring that its huge 63m (207ft) wingspan did not scrape the ground and topple the plane.
Previous flights of Solar Impulse have included a brief “flea hop” and a longer airborne test earlier this year. But this week’s attempt was described as a “milestone” by the team.
The designers, the Solar Impulse team led by Mr Borschberg and fellow aviator Bertrand Piccard, say that this proves that a plane can be kept in the air around the clock.
The plane emerged from the darkness of night with three hours power remaining in its batteries, more than had been expected.
“That was the moment that proved the mission was successful, we made it.”
It’s the first time ever that a manned solar airplane has flown through the night,” Mr Piccard told journalists.
The team will now build a new, more advanced, model of the plane and aim to circumnavigate the globe by 2013.
“Nothing can prevent us from another day and night, and the myth of perpetual flight.”
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Tom Norris is the Managing Director of the QFJ Media Price Comparison Network and writes passionately each week in the Compare Prices Supermarket Blog, Conservatories Supermarket Blog and Solar Panels Supermarket about home improvement and renewable energy issues.
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