Space Industry and Business News  
SOLAR DAILY
Solar Impulse 2 completes Phoenix-San Francisco leg
by Staff Writers
San Francisco (AFP) May 3, 2016


The Solar Impulse 2, an experimental solar-powered aircraft, landed in Phoenix, Arizona late Monday, completing the latest leg of its around the world journey to draw attention to clean energy technologies.

Pilot Andre Borschberg put the long, light, propeller-driven aircraft down at Phoenix Goodyear Airport at 10:03 pm (0403 GMT) after a 16 hour, 10 minute flight from Moffet Airfield southeast of San Francisco.

"I made it to #Phoenix, what an amazing flight over the Mojave Desert to promote #futureis clean," Borschberg said on Twitter.

The plane had been in California for a week since crossing the Pacific in an approximately 60-hour flight to land in Mountain View.

Borschberg, who has been alternating the long solo flights with his teammate, Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard, will pilot Solar Impulse across the United States and to New York. Piccard piloted the craft from Hawaii to California.

The 63-year-old adventurer took off at 5 am (1200 GMT) to take advantage of a clear weather window on a 750 mile (1,203 kilometer) voyage higher over the Mojave Desert.

"The sun is rising in the horizon. It feels good to be flying round-the-world with #Si2 again," Borschberg posted on Twitter after taking off.

It was the 10th of 13 legs in a journey that began last year in the United Arab Emirates.

"As the sun gets higher, #Si2's energy reserves will start filling up, thanks to all its #cleantechs," Borschberg wrote on Twitter.

The solar-powered plane, which stores energy in batteries for when the sun is not shining, will make several stops across the United States, although the team is still examining potential destinations.

Thanks to an inflatable mobile hangar, which can be packed up quickly and transported, Solar Impulse 2 can be sheltered at a variety of possible locations.

The plane will make a final US stop in New York before a transatlantic flight to Europe. From there, the pilots plan to make their way back to the point of departure in Abu Dhabi.

- Technologies useable 'on ground' -

The mission aims to promote the use of renewable energy, with an aircraft powered by 17,000 solar cells.

"If an airplane can fly day and night without fuel, we could all use these same clean technologies on the ground to develop new industrial markets and stimulate economic growth, while also protecting the environment," Piccard said in a statement.

The plane's wingspan is broader than that of a jumbo jet but its weight is roughly the same as a family car.

Solar Impulse 2 was grounded in July last year when its batteries suffered problems halfway through its 21,700-mile (35,000-kilometer) circumnavigation.

The crew took several months to repair damage from tropical high temperatures during the first Pacific stage, a 4,000-mile flight between Japan and Hawaii.

The aircraft was flown on that leg by Borschberg, whose 118-hour journey smashed the previous record of 76 hours and 45 minutes set by US adventurer Steve Fossett in 2006.

Born in Zurich, Borschberg is no stranger to adventure -- 15 years ago he narrowly escaped an avalanche, and then in 2013 he escaped a helicopter crash with just minor injuries.

He took catnaps of only 20 minutes at a time to maintain control of the pioneering plane during his arduous flight from Japan, in what his team described as "difficult" conditions.

Piccard, a 58-year-old doctor by training, already completed the first non-stop round-the-world balloon flight in 1999.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
All About Solar Energy at SolarDaily.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
SOLAR DAILY
At last: Non-toxic and cheap thin-film solar cells for 'zero-energy' buildings
Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 02, 2016
'Zero-energy' buildings - which generate as much power as they consume - are now much closer after a team at Australia's University of New South Wales achieved the world's highest efficiency using flexible solar cells that are non-toxic and cheap to make. Until now, the promise of 'zero-energy' buildings been held back by two hurdles: the cost of the thin-film solar cells (used in facades, ... read more


SOLAR DAILY
It takes more than peer pressure to make large microgels fit in

Folding molecules into screw-shaped structures

Engineers develop micro-sized, liquid-metal particles for heat-free soldering

Speedy bridge repair

SOLAR DAILY
Elbit receives European order for tactical radios

Haigh-Farr showcases Antenna Solutions at DATT Summit

U.S. Army orders radios for Mid-East, African countries

Harris supplies tactical radios to African country

SOLAR DAILY
SpaceX vows to send capsule to Mars by 2018

Russia May Launch Upgraded Proton-M Rocket on May28

India to test Reusable Launch Vehicle in June

Soyuz demonstrates Arianespace mission flexibility

SOLAR DAILY
ISRO launch campaign for IRNSS-1G progressing smoothly

ISRO Begins Countdown for Launch of Final IRNSS Navigation Satellite

GPS technology keeps eagle eye on elusive powerful owls

Advanced self-propelled Russian rifle gets satellite-navigated shells

SOLAR DAILY
China Eastern Airlines to buy 35 planes from Airbus and Boeing

Raytheon producing targeting system variant for Air Force

Airbus helicopters transferred to Royal Thai Navy

Pakistan, China building JF-17B prototype

SOLAR DAILY
NREL offers path to high-performance 2-D semiconductor devices

Making electronics out of coal

New technique to probe 'noise' in quantum computing devised

Nature Photonics: Light source for quicker computer chips

SOLAR DAILY
Libya's Haruj volcanic field spotted from space

Satellite data latest tool in Indonesia's fight against illegal fishing

China's Earth observation satellite assists Ecuador quake relief

Sentinel-1B launched to complete radar pair

SOLAR DAILY
Tonnes of clams die in Vietnam as toxic leak fears mount

Computers play a crucial role in preserving the Earth

Riviera beaches spared as Italy oil slick dissolves

Champs-Elysees to be pedestrianised once a month to combat smog









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.