Solar Impulse 2, the Swiss-engineered aircraft flew over 40,000 kilometers across oceans and continents powered entirely by photovoltaic cells spread across its wings.

 

Every aircraft that circles the globe carries thousands of liters of fuel. It is the mandatory cost of the trip. Solar Impulse 2 carried none.

The Swiss-engineered aircraft flew over 40,000 kilometers across oceans and continents powered entirely by photovoltaic cells spread across its wings. It stored solar energy in batteries during the day and drew on it through the night. It never stopped for fuel. It never emitted carbon.

The commercial aviation sector burns 300 million tons of jet fuel annually and routinely insists clean, long-distance flight is decades away.

Solar Impulse 2 was not built to carry passengers. It was built to carry a point. It flew around the planet on sunlight alone and landed completely intact. The argument that zero-emission flight is impossible did not survive the landing.

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