The first plane to run on solar energy has completed the second leg Tuesday night in a journey that will take it around the world.
The Swiss-made aircraft, called Solar Impulse 2, took off from Muscat Oman and touched down at Ahmadabad airport in Gujarat state about 16 hours later in a 910-mile flight, according to the Associated Press. The landing takes place just one day after Solar Impulse co-founder Andre Borschberg flew the plane from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, to Oman in the trip's first leg.
Borschberg and Solar Impulse project manager Bertrand Piccard, who flew the second leg, said the goal of the trip is to show the importance of renewable energy and innovation, adding that the trip is a "strong message for clean technologies." The Swiss explorers will take turns flying Si2.
Solar Impulse set a new world record for a flight in a pilot-powered plane with the distance it covered, BBC News reported. The record is only the latest set by the project, which completed its journey to the U.S. in 2013.
The 5,070-pound aircraft, a prototype of Solar Impulse-1, comes with a 236-foot wingspan, and its wings are covered with 17,000 solar cells that charge the plane's lithium-ion batteries so it can fly at night.
Borschberg and Piccard have been practicing yoga and self-hypnosis, respectively, in order to prepare for the trip, which will span 25 flight days over five months, the AP reported. They won't be able to stand in the cockpit, but the seat reclines so they can stretch, and they can remove the cushion so they can use the bathroom. Their suits also come with armbands that will buzz when the plane isn't flying level.
Si2 has 10 more legs to go before it completes its 21,700-mile round-the-world trip, with future stops including China, Myanmar and Hawaii. Possible stops, depending on weather conditions, include southern Europe and North Africa. The plane is expected to take off from Ahmadabad to Varanasi in northern India on Saturday.
