A solar-powered plane the size of a jumbo jet landed in Morocco last night following a 19-hour flight from Madrid.
Pilot Bertrand Piccard landed in Morocco’s Rabat-Salé international airport at 23:30, completing the world’s first intercontinental flight in a plane powered by the sun.
The plane, named the Solar Impulse, was powered by 12,000 solar cells turning four electrical motors.
The Solar Impulse project was launched in 2003 by Piccard and Swiss pilot Andre Boschberg, who completed the first stage of the journey from Switzerland to Madrid in late May. The project team are now planning a round-the-world tour with a new Solar Impulse model in 2014.
Commenting, Piccard said: “Aside from technical and political reasons behind the decision to fly to Morocco, simply the flight over the Gibraltar Straight was a magical moment and represents one of the highlights of my career as an aeronaut.”
Borschberg added: “This flight marks a new stage in the history of the project because we have reached another continent. After almost 20 hours of flight we landed with a full set of batteries. This is extraordinary as it represents an increase in confidence in new technologies.”
Mustapha Bakkoury, president of the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN), who worked with the team on the project, said: “We are Solar Impulse’s first intercontinental landing and we are ready to host this worldwide premier, this historical moment, as we are also landing with it. It is an important moment for the MASEN.
“As initiators of another innovative project, the world’s largest thermo-solar power plant, we share a common message with Solar Impulse; a strong one: solar energy [is] no longer restricted to the scientific world but is becoming an integrative part of daily [life]. We will begin production in 2014, coinciding with Solar Impulse’s world tour.”
