Solar Impulse 2, piloted by Andre Borschberg in the second segment of the world round journey, was forced to land in Nagoya, Japan.
Solar Impulse 2 is the world’s first entirely clean energy powered aircraft that is already setting records for the longest solo and solar flight.
Bertrand Piccard, the co-initiator of the project Solar Impulse, first piloted the plane from Abu Dhabi to Nanjing, China in March. Now it is his partner, Andre Borschberg who ventures on the longest and most dangerous leg of the journey, from China, across the Pacific to Hawaii.
The departure from Nanjing was postponed several times until this Sunday, due to unfavorable weather conditions. It seems that after take off, the same circumstances are now forcing the pilot to land Solar Impulse 2 in Nagoya, Japan.
The intricate technology that Solar Impulse 2 relies on took the two partners fourteen years to develop. At this point, Solar Impulse 2 is the first experimental plane to be completing long distances fueled simply by solar power.
This leg of the around-the-world journey from China to Hawaii was initially estimated to last for six full nights and days in which 8,172 kilometers would be flown across the ocean mostly.
The daring venture would have placed incredible strain on Mr. Borschberg as he would be the only pilot in the cockpit. Mr. Piccard would be waiting at the finish line to take over and set off on the next segment of the journey.
Now, emergency measures were taken in Nagoya for the safe landing of Solar Impulse 2 as it met a cold front over the ocean hindering its advance.
Both Boschberg and Piccard stated for the press that the team and the plane will be resting in Japan for now, waiting for better weather conditions to allow Solar Impulse 2 to continue its revolutionary journey.
Image Source: zenfs.com
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