Solar Impulse 2 Lands in Abu Dhabi-RTW Begins #Insider VIDEO 3 hours ago The first Round-The-World flight powered entirely by solar energy has begun with the transportation of Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) — disassembled, in the belly of a Cargolux Boeing 747 — from the Payerne aerodrome in Switzerland to the departure and final landing city of Abu Dhabi, according to news from the Solar Impulse team. For the flight to the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, Si2 was loaded into the 747 which has a smaller wingspan than the solar plane. The last steps in the three week disassembly process — which took place during the end of year festivities— was to separate the 72m long wing into three sections. Si2 is now located in its hangar in Abu Dhabi. The team is reassembling the solar airplane for its presentation during the World Future Energy Summit as part of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, which is hosted by Masdar between 17 and 22 January 2015. The Si2 team said there were “A lot of emotions today in Payerne.” After 12 years of hard work aspiring to this very moment, Si2 is finally starting its journey around the world. On the 6th of January, Solar Impulse flew without its wings for the last time. Relive this emotional moment following Vincent through every meticulous step of the loading process. | Credit: SOLAR IMPULSE This well-matched partnership will show Abu Dhabi to be a centre of expertise when it comes to renewable energy and at the same time Solar Impulse will demonstrate the far-reaching applications of clean energy during the first solar-powered flight around the world. –Bertrand Piccard. We have chosen this location as being the best and most suitable departure point for the round-the-world tour, due to its climate, infrastructure and commitment to clean technologies. –André Borschberg.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 21:49:48 +0000