Solar Impulse 2 to resume round-the-world flight within days

HONOLULU, USA – The Solar Impulse 2 sun-powered plane is set to resume its record-breaking flight around the world within days, leaving Hawaii when weather permits, a spokesman said Friday, April 15.

The experimental aircraft was grounded in July when its batteries suffered problems halfway through its 21,700-mile (35,000-kilometer) trip.

“The Solar Impulse is waiting for a weather window to fly, so we will not be able to confirm the time and date for takeoff,” Chris Shigas, a spokesman for the project, told Agence France-Presse.

The crew took several months to repair the damage from high tropical temperatures during the flight’s final Pacific stage, a record journey of five days and five nights between Nagoya, Japan and Hawaii.

The plane conducted its first successful test flight following repairs in late February, with the next leg, estimated to take 4 days, expected to end in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Vancouver or Phoenix, Arizona.

Shigas said the timing of the take-off would not affect its landing schedule. – Rappler.com