Solar Impulse 2 was in a holding pattern over the Sea of Japan on Monday as organizers warned that bad weather in the days ahead could block the aircraft's ambitious bid to cross the Pacific Ocean.
The seventh leg of the round-the-world journey was set to take pilot Andre Borschberg, 62, on a six-day, six-night flight from the Chinese city of Nanjing across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii, an 8,500-kilometre (5,270-mile) flight.
Borschberg completed Solar Impulse 2's first overnight leg, with the aircraft relying solely on batteries charged by the sun's energy, but poor weather ahead threw the rest of the marathon leg into doubt.
"Yesterday we had the possibility to cross the weather front just before Hawaii on day five," the Solar Impulse team said in a statement.
"However, with the forecasts we now have, we don't see this possibility anymore, which means that for the moment the road to Hawaii is blocked."
Borschberg will stay in a holding pattern over the Sea of Japan, a map on the team's website showed.
"Whilst we wait for the forecasts, we have decided to hold the position of the aircraft. We have asked Andre to stay where he is," the statement said.
Organizers still held out the possibility of continuing the leg, however.
"During this time we will analyze where he will have to go to find a possibility to cross that front," the statement said.
The journey began in Abu Dhabi in March and is scheduled for 12 legs, with a total flight time of around 25 days.
PHOTO: This handout photo taken on May 31, 2015 by the Solar Impulse project shows the Swiss-made solar-powered plane Solar Impluse 2 taking off from Nanjing's Lukou International Airport.
CREDIT: AFP.