Solar Impulse 2 landed safely in Hawaii Friday after a five-day trek from Nagoya, Japan, completing the most perilous leg of its global journey and setting world records for the longest distance and duration of solar aviation, and the longest solo flight ever.
The 1,600-kilogram craft boasts a cruising speed of 70 kilometres per hour and a top speed of 80 kph. The development project was launched in November 2003, “almost exactly a century after the Wright brothers’ historic flight,” EcoWatch reports.
“On June 28, Si2 took off at 18:03 UTC from Nagoya, with André Borschberg at the controls, for a historic flight over the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii,” Solar Impulse said in a release. “By remaining airborne for five consecutive days and nights, producing its own power with solar energy, Solar Impulse 2 has proven that Bertrand Piccard’s vision of reaching unlimited endurance without fuel was not a crazy dream.”
