Solar Impulse 2, a light aircraft powered by nothing but solar energy, has completed the latest leg of its trip. It landed at New York’s JFK airport early in the morning, completing the five-hour flight from Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. It was only a few months ago in April that Solar Impulse 2 finally completed its flight across the Pacific, the pilot Bertrand Piccard flew nearly 2,800 miles between Hawaii and San Francisco.
Solar Impulse 2 took off from Abu Dhabi about a year ago. It was planned to make a round-the-world trip in four months but it had to be grounded in Hawaii due to battery troubles.
The leg between Hawaii and San Francisco came after that extended stay in which the team tended to its batteries. This latest leg was a short once considering the distances that Solar Impulse 2 has covered in the past.
It’s the next leg of the plane’s trip around the world that might prove to be the most challenging. Solar Impulse 2 is going across the Atlantic, planning to land somewhere between Ireland and Morocco. Other possible destinations include Portugal, France, and Spain. However, Solar Impulse says that it doesn’t know right now when this leg of the journey will begin.
Nevertheless, the plan is still on track to complete the round-the-world trip powered by just solar energy.
Filed in . Read more about Solar Impulse. Source: bigstory.ap.org