Solar Impulse Survives 24 Hour Test Flight

Companies have been looking for ways to viably power vehicles with alternate energy sources for years.

The “green” aspect of these companies’ endeavors makes for great PR marketing campaigns, and since the eco-friendly trend has caught on so well around the world, it has created an incredibly open market of consumers interested in products that will help reduce their carbon footprint on our planet.

The latest news in alternate energy powered vehicles comes as the world’s first aircraft completely powered by solar energy finished its trial run. The 24-hour test flight allowed the Swiss makers of the plane to dramatically present this amazing aircraft to the world with such an impressive stunt.

The point of making this “test flight” last 24 hours was to prove that the plane’s solar cells are able to store enough energy as it flies around during the day to keep the plane in the air at night. This shows that the aircraft can fly anytime, day or night, without using a drop of fuel to keep itself in the air.

The plane is named Solar Impulse and has been in the making for 6 years now. There have been other, shorter, test flights up to this point but this was the first overnight venture. The team behind production of the prototype hopes to test it in a flight across the Atlantic next and around the globe after that.

Swiss air force pilot Andre Borshchberg piloted the one-manned aircraft; he has been flying planes for about 40 years but had never piloted one that did not rely on conventional fuel to get him to his destination.

At this point there is no telling what kind of application the technology from this prototype plane will have in the commercial airplane sector.