Abu Dhabi: The Solar Impulse 2 resumed its record-breaking quest on Thursday to circle the globe without consuming a drop of fuel, taking advantage of improved weather to take off from Hawaii.
Solar Impulse 2 has successfully taken off from Hawaii just over a year after it started its mission from Abu Dhabi.
The plane is headed to California on the West Coast of the USA and will then make its way over the Atlantic Ocean before conducting layovers in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East before returning to the UAE some time this summer.
“It’s official, we are back in mission mode. With two intrepid Swiss explores at the helm, the plane is once again sending its powerful message from the skies: bold technological innovation coupled with persistent human ambition can prove the viability of clean technologies,” said Hassan Al Redaini, the UAE ambassador on board the team behind plane.
Earlier, Solar Impulse co-founder Betrand Piccard told Gulf News that he hopes he could also pilot the first solar-powered passenger airplane only to make the technology available to the masses.
In fact, Solar Impulse 2 has already broken a number of records including the completion of a 117-hour, 52 minute, 7,212km trans-Pacific non-stop trip last July, making it the longest solo and solar flight both in distance and duration.
However, this was just before the plane’s batteries overheated and became damaged keeping the plane grounded all winter.
All these incidents however, are learning experiences for the Solar Impulse team which works on bringing its expertise back to the UAE and the world after the plane completes its journey.
“I think of Solar Impulse as a flying lab, testing technological and human limits. There has already been demand for the technologies Solar Impulse has developed. For instance, the plane’s insulation system could be adapted to limit energy consumption in daily home appliances such as refrigerators,” said Hassan.
“Solar Impulse has achieved what many thought to be impossible. Although we had some setbacks, that’s part of the learning curve, and we want to take those lessons and apply them to the second part of this journey,” he added.
The plane is scheduled to return to Abu Dhabi later this summer. The trip from Hawaii was earlier tentatively scheduled for April 15.
