Solar Powered Flight - Solar Impulse

With it's wingspan of about 263 ft. it is comparable to a Airbus A 380.

But instead of the 600+ passenger capacity of that airliner the Solar Impulse will only transport one human being, the pilot, for its flight around the globe.

And in sharp contrast the A380, the solar impulse won’t need a drop of fuel to accomplish this feat.

Its mission therefore is simple, transport 1 person through the air around the globe using only solar energy.

At the moment there are about 35 engineers working at the 4500 pound solar giant. The long wings are fitted with a film of ultrathin, flexible solar cells.

During the day the from layered carbon fiber materials build Solar Impulse will fly at an altitude of about 40000 feet. At that altitude the suns flux is enough to power both the engines and recharges its lithium batteries.

The engine’s power consumption is a modest 9 kwh (All most the same amount the Wright Brothers plane used).
The Solar Impulse is designed for cruise speeds of 45 knots, but will be able to accelerate up to 55 knots. Test flights will be conducted by two pilots Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard. Two guys already known for their non-stop balloon adventure in 1999

The planning for the coming years is as follows:
- 2008 first flight of the prototype
- 2010 non-stop cross Atlantic, or USA
- 2011 first attempt to fly non-stop around the globe
The total cost of this experiment? Approx. 100 million US.

We will keep you informed