The Solar Impulse project was launched in 2003 by Bertrand Piccard and Swiss pilot Andre Boschberg who flew the first leg of the trans-Atlantic journey from Switzerland to Madrid in late May. Now on its second leg and piloted by Piccard, the plane, equipped with 12,000 solar cells, is on its way from Spain to Morocco and expected to land sometime Tuesday.
Though the Solar Impulse is not the first solar airplane ever designed, according to its creators, it is certainly the most ambitious. None of its predecessors has ever managed to fly right through the night with a pilot on board.
Credit: Solar Impulse
