The Solar Impulse 2 launched this week on its mission to be the first solar-powered aircraft to circumnavigate the globe, and the organizing team held a debriefing at the mission control center in Monaco, after the first two flights in the sun-powered aircraft's round-the-world journey. Solar Impulse 2 landed on Tuesday in Ahmedabad, India, after what was seen as a difficult leg. It was relatively short, about 15 hours, but it crossed an ocean in a region where the company's meteorologists had a hard time finding tailwinds while keeping the risk of turbulence low. The 236-foot-span, 5,000-pound aircraft is so sensitive to turbulence that air traffic controllers enforce an agreed 2,000-foot vertical separation, instead of the standard 1,000 feet.
The flight was also an opportunity to test the redesigned pilot oxygen supply at 28,000 feet. The new system has been available for only three weeks, as Swiss civil aviation authorities nixed the previous one.
The batteries, fed by photovoltaic cells, account for about 10 hours of endurance, while climbing during day time allows another 4.5 hours of flight in descent, at night, using practically no electric power, explained “flight strategist” Stéphane Yong.