The team behind pioneering solar-powered plane Solar Impulse 2 have announced they are now set to resume their attempt to achieve the first ever round-the-world solar flight.

 

Late last week the Swiss team said they are now re-entering "mission mode", and are awaiting the first favorable weather conditions to re-embark upon their solar-powered journey to North America.

 

The team announced in December 2015 that it would resume its attempt at a round-the-world flight in April, after technical difficulties during the initial stretch of its flight left it grounded in Hawaii, with serious damage caused to the batteries from overheating during flight. The team raised $20m to repair the technical problems and has undertaken 13 test flights over the past few months, including one high altitude flight, to prepare for the remainder of the Pacific crossing.

 

The aircraft made headlines over the summer with a record-breaking five-day flight of over 8,900km from Japan to Hawaii, with Borschberg as the pilot. Bertrand Piccard, who initiated the project, will now take over as pilot for the next leg of the flight, which will head to one of four North American destinations - Phoenix, the San Francisco area, Los Angeles and Vancouver - with the landing place to be decided shortly before departure depending on the weather conditions. The following leg of the mission is yet to be decided.

 

The craft generates its power using 17,000 solar cells, which are supported by four batteries that allow it to fly through the night.

 

"An airplane with perpetual flight endurance, without fuel, like the Solar Impulse is not only a first in the history of aviation, but also in the history of energy," said Piccard in a statement. "The primary purpose of this adventure is to demonstrate that modern clean technologies can achieve the impossible and encourage everyone to use these same energy efficient solutions on the ground in their daily lives for mobility, construction, lighting, heating, cooling and more." (businessGreen)