Space Travel News  
SOLAR DAILY
Swiss solar plane to attempt first international flight

by Staff Writers
Geneva (AFP) April 28, 2011
Switzerland's solar-powered aircraft is expected to attempt its first international flight as early as next week to Brussels, the team managing the project said on Thursday.

"Solar Impulse, the zero fuel airplane, will attempt to fly to Brussels Airport as the destination for its first international flight," said the team in a statement.

"The airplane will be ready for take-off as from 2 May 2011 and will depart just as soon as the weather permits," it added.

Solar Impulse made history in July 2010 as the first manned plane to fly around the clock on the sun's energy.

But an international flight involving a foreign airport will be a "big technical challenge," acknowledged the team.

Months of preparations have gone into planning and training for the task, and an entire team of experts, including meteorological specialists, route planners, air traffic controllers, engineers and IT specialists have been roped in.

"Flying an aircraft like Solar Impulse through European airspace to land at an international airport is an incredible challenge for all of us, and success depends on the support we receive from all the authorities concerned," said Andre Borschberg, who piloted July's flight.



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
All About Solar Energy at SolarDaily.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


SOLAR DAILY
Solar Frontier Selected By Granite Construction for Power Plant in Coalinga
Coalinga CA (SPX) Apr 28, 2011
Solar Frontier has announced that it has signed an agreement with Granite Construction Incorporated to provide 1.2 megawatts of thin-film solar CIS technology at Granite's aggregate and hot mix facility in Coalinga, Calif. The installation will supply up to 50% of the total energy requirement of the facility. It represents the largest solar installation at an aggregate facility in the Unit ... read more







SOLAR DAILY
GSAT-8 put through its paces

Ariane Ariane 5 enjoys second successful launch for 2011

Ariane rocket launches two telecoms satellites

SpaceX aims to put man on Mars in 10-20 years

SOLAR DAILY
NASA Orbiter Reveals Big Changes in Mars' Atmosphere

Dry ice find hints Mars was a wetter place: study

A Tale Of Two Deserts

Mars Rover's 'Gagarin' Moment Applauded Exploration

SOLAR DAILY
India Eyeing Collaboration With JPL In 2016 NASA Lunar Mission

BRP To Contribute To Canadian Moon And Mars Exploration Programs

Naveen Jain Co-Founder And Chairman Of Moon Express

Project Morpheus To Begin Testing At NASA's Johnson Space Center

SOLAR DAILY
Carbon monoxide detected around Pluto

The PI's Perspective: Pinch Me!

Later, Uranus: New Horizons Passes Another Planetary Milestone

Can WISE Find The Hypothetical Tyche In Distant Oort Cloud

SOLAR DAILY
Tuning Into ExoPlanet Radio

The Shocking Environment Of Hot Jupiters

Radio signals could 'tag' distant planets

Titan-Like Exoplanets

SOLAR DAILY
Russia To Develop New Space Rocket By 2015

Russia may launch light Soyuz carrier rocket by 2012

Weak Russian component downed Indian rocket Says Ex-ISRO chief

NASA awards $270 million in spaceship contracts

SOLAR DAILY
Countdown begins for Chineses space station program

Asia's star ever brighter in space

What Future for Chang'e-2

China setting up new rocket production base

SOLAR DAILY
Fast-Rotating Asteroid Winks For Astronomer's Camera

Cold Asteroids May Have A Soft Heart

WISE Mission Spots 'Horseshoe' Asteroid

WISE Mission Spots Horseshoe Asteroid


The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement