Abu Dhabi – Solar Impulse 2 (SI2), a solar-powered aircraft, took off this Monday (9th) from Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, for the first ever fuel-less round-the-world trip, to promote sustainable and clean energy sources. Powered by the sun, the aircraft, controlled by Swiss Andre Borschberg, took off from Al Bateen airport headed to Muscat, capital of Oman, where it should land at the end of the day.
The take off from Abu Dhabi, initially scheduled to Saturday (7th), was delayed due to the Strong winds in the region. Today, there was also a 42 minutes delay.
The trip, planned to have 12 legs and last five months, is the result of 13 years of research and work by the Swiss pilots Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, who came up with the idea of a flight with using solar energy. The initiative was initially ridiculed by the aviation industry. The SI2 is powered by more than 17,000 solar cells built-in the wings, which measure 72 meters, almost as long as the ones from an Airbus A380.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
