It's time for an update on Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world flight. The last time I checked in, Solar Impulse 2 landed in China on Earth Day. Yesterday, it left China, originally headed to Hawaii. That didn't happen. The Wall Street Journal reported last night that Solar Impulse to Land in Japan Due to Poor Weather.
A solar-powered plane attempting to fly around the world without a drop of fuel plans to make an unscheduled stop due to bad weather. Solar Impulse 2 is expected to land in Nagoya, Japan, on Monday night.The plane arrived safely.
As for what the plane's future holds, Extreme Tech has the story.
This isn’t the end of the line for Solar Impulse 2, of course. The team is watching for another takeoff window that will allow the craft to reach Hawaii. They already waited several weeks for the last launch that didn’t work out, so it might be a while before the perfect forecast prompts a second try. After the plane successfully lands in Hawaii, it has another leg to fly that’s almost as long. The trip from Hawaii to Phoenix, New Mexico will take four days and is almost 3,000 miles.Good luck to the pilots and their crew. I'll be reporting on the trip again when the plane departs for Hawaii.
The total journey will be over 20,000 miles when Solar Impulse 2 eventually reaches its destination in the United Arab Emirates, where the trip started several months ago. The team hopes to raise awareness of how far solar power has come with Solar Impulse 2. As long as it can complete the trip without more unscheduled stops, it might make a good case.
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