Critical Test In Around The World Attempt

ANN Realtime Update 1330 EDT 07.01.10

Solar Impulse Flight Postponed. The team hoping to fly around the clock on solar and battery power alone has had to cancel their scheduled Thursday attempt due to a "technical problem."

Solar Impulse co-founder Bertrand Piccard told the international news service AFP that "a failure occurred in a critical place in the plane," and a decision was made to postpone the 24 hour attempt until another day. Adding to the disappointment was the near-perfect weather conditions for the test flight.

Piccard said it was the first real setback in the seven years of the program. He said he did not know when the team would be able to schedule another attempt, because the aircraft still depends on severe clear and stable weather conditions ... as well as summer's long days and short nights. The best Piccard would say was they would shoot for the end of July or early August.

Original Story: When you're planning to fly around the world in an airplane powered by nothing more than solar panels, the question that comes immediately to mind is "what happens at night?" The Solar Impulse will try to answer that question, as it departs early Thursday from an airport in Switzerland for a flight that is planned to last 24 hours.

Solar Impulse File Photo

Bertrand Piccard, one of the founders of the Solar Impulse project and the first person to circumnavigate the planet in a balloon, calls the move away from fossil fuels the "great adventure of the 21st century." The Solar Impulse, which weighs no more than a normal car but sports the wingspan of an Airbus A340, has completed 10 test flights so far. But Thursday's will be the first to attempt to fly at night.

The international news service AFP reports that the Solar Impulse team says the most critical time in the flight will come around dawn, when the energy stored in onboard batteries is running low and they are hoping for a boost from the rising sun to keep the airplane aloft.

Solar Impulse File Photo

The current aircraft is a proof-of-concept model. Piccard and co-founder Andre Borschberg, who will be piloting the 24 hour flight, say they will soon begin building a larger version designed for the circumnavigation attempt, planned for 2013 or 2014. Meanwhile, Piccard says that if the airplane can fly day and night with no fuel, it will prove that the same technology can be used for more ground-bound applications such as air conditioning, heating, and powering household appliances.

FMI: www.solarimpulse.com