Solar Impulse plane turns into military project

 

Solar Impulse - Around the World patch.

Nov. 17, 2020

Sold last year to a discreet start-up, the Solar Impulse aircraft - touted as the future of clean aviation - will serve as a development base for a surveillance drone intended in particular for the military sector. Our investigation.

Solar Impulse plane

A discreet sale

Unlike the rest of the Solar Impulse adventure, the transaction was concluded without much fanfare. On September 11, 2019, a discreet press release announced the sale of the solar plane that enabled Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg to complete their unprecedented world tour in 2016.

Quoted in the text of the ad, Bertrand Piccard congratulated himself on the fact that "Solar Impulse 2, in this second life, continues to illustrate that clean technologies can achieve the impossible while building a sustainable future. With Skydweller (the Hispano-American buyer, editor's note), the most famous solar airplane in the world, will have concrete advantages for the greater good ”.

However, according to our survey, the young company Skydweller Aero, with a very Spartan website, has military plans for the future of the Solar Impulse 2 aircraft. The device will serve as a basis for the development of autonomous surveillance and telecommunications drones. , capable of continuous flight.

Image above: The Solar Impulse aircraft is integrated into the logo of Skydweller, the new owner of the aircraft.

"Hundreds of millions for a military application"

The main known shareholder of Skydweller, the Italian defense group Leonardo (ex-Finmeccanica) discussed at the last Dubai air show a concept of an autonomous device based on Solar Impulse. A project capable of "carrying radar, electronic optics, telecommunications devices, telephone listening and interception systems".

Leonardo, who owns nearly 20% of Skydweller's capital, believes in these future developments. "The size of the market is enormous," said Laurent Sissmann, one of the project's managers, specifying that "for the military application alone, we are talking about several hundred million which could be captured by Skydweller". For civilian applications, he cites "a telecommunications relay system, natural disaster observation and mapping".

Today, the plane that has flown around the world is reassembled out of sight at Albacete Airport in Spain. Skydweller, whose parent company is registered in Delaware - a tax-lenient US state - announced that the aircraft was about to return to the skies shortly. But the group refused any interview.

If the historic Solar Impulse test pilot has been poached and is responsible for putting the machine back into flight, in the long term, Skydweller's stated objective is to replace humans with an autonomous system and take advantage of the weight gain to install monitoring and observation tools.

Image above: The Solar Impulse 2 plane is reassembled under this hangar at Albacete airport in Spain, out of sight.

"Solar Impulse will never be armed"

Asked about the openly military aims of the project, Bertrand Piccard assured RTS that the sales contract included safeguards prohibiting transforming Solar Impulse into an "offensive" military drone. "This is a plane that will never be armed. It is absolutely clear and it is contractual," he said.

According to our information, there is indeed no risk of the solar plane crossing the sky with missiles under its wings. The scenario is technically not feasible.

An engineer familiar with Skydweller's ambitions explained to us that the company mainly acquired Solar Impulse as a "test platform, with its technologies already tested", and that there is an interest in "the form of publicity" that the airplane's past can bring. "If they manage to develop something, it will not necessarily have the form of Solar Impulse, but will embed some of the know-how acquired during the adventure around the world," he said.

One thing remains certain: Our investigation indicates that the links between Skydweller's management and the arms industry are obvious. The possibility of seeing the legacy of Solar Impulse in part take on a military twist cannot come as a surprise to Bertrand Piccard and André Bortschberg.

The Skydweller team from the arms industry

American Robert Miller, director of Skydweller, describes himself as having "decades of experience in the air defense community." His CV is an inventory of the American arms giants: from Northrop Grumman to subsidiaries of Lockheed Martin, still in the drone business. The weapons engineer and former Airbus group figure Marwan Lahoud was also recently integrated into the management of the start-up.

A source familiar with the sales negotiations between Skydweller and Solar Impulse told us that Robert Miller had highlighted his contacts with the United States Department of Defense to illustrate the strength of his offer.

Image above: Skydweller's lobbying activity in the United States targets defense and intelligence issues. [opensecrets.org].

This proximity to US Defense is evident in Skydweller's influencing activities. The new owner of Solar Impulse 2 has therefore mandated the former lobbyist of the National Rifle Association (NRA), the notorious pro-weapons organization, in Washington to influence discussions in the US Congress on drones and surveillance.

Despite these elements, Bertrand Piccard still says he believes in the future commercial and industrial applications of the project, citing telecommunications, meteorological and aerial photography services. He also invites "not to be hypocritical", recalling that, in the other direction, "many today peaceful systems have been developed by the military".

The question of funding and public money

This sale, which stands out with Solar Impulse's original fight for the energy transition and its promotion of humanist values, also raises financial questions.

As a reminder, the cost of the Solar Impulse adventure was 170 million francs over 15 years. This sum was mostly provided by private sponsors and patrons, but also by direct and indirect contributions from the Confederation. Today, the proceeds from the sale are only collected by Solar Impulse SA, a company owned by Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg.

The two men do not disclose the amount of the transaction, arguing that the contract forbids them to talk about it. But Bertrand Piccard defines his gain as "a return on investment for what one has invested for 15 years". The aeronaut assures us "to have won nothing during this whole period". Although he was not actually paid directly by Solar Impulse, Bertrand Piccard was able to take advantage of his image to increase the number of conferences, billed at up to 30,000 francs per unit.

Today, he says he is "relieved that the company created with André Borschberg is receiving something".

The sale of the technological jewel therefore made money for the founders, but not for private sponsors and supporters, such as the Confederation. This was not provided for in the contracts. The deals made were basically to take advantage of the publicity surrounding the adventure around the world.

Image above: The Swiss government has always seen the Solar Impulse project as an "ambassador for a sustainable Switzerland".

State participation, direct and indirect

Nicolas Bideau, director of Presence Switzerland, which centralized Swiss public participation, estimates public support at 6 million francs. "Much of this has been in the form of the provision of aircraft hangars in Dübendorf (ZH) and Payerne (VD). There have also been subsidies from the Federal Office of Energy to push the renewable energies, and Presence Switzerland has invested 1.25 million francs in cash to be a partner in the adventure ".

Nicolas Bideau specifies that we should also add the participation of polytechnics and the provision of their engineers. This increases the share of Swiss public participation.

How did Switzerland benefit from this? For Nicolas Bideau, the comeback is not financial, but it is just as important. "The know-how of Solar Impulse is less in the plane which left for Spain today than in the engineering offices and in our polytechnics. This is not to be underestimated," he argues. For him, "the current fate of the plane is a shame (...), but we got the most out of Solar Impulse in Switzerland".

Selling abroad: "a complete failure"

This enthusiasm is not shared by everyone. Former parliamentarian Fathi Derder does not mince his words and refers to "a complete failure on the part of the Confederation." I have been fighting for years to make them aware of all this incredible technology embedded in Solar Impulse ", says the PLR Vaudois, who wanted to see Switzerland maintain this know-how on its territory.

Solar Impulse take off

"Now it is in foreign hands, obviously American. Whatever the destination, it is dramatic for our country", regrets Fathi Derder, who does not blame André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard. "As long as developers turn to the federal authorities who turn their backs on them with a sort of polite, if not a little humiliating, refusal, it should come as no surprise that a private company then goes overseas."

In its infancy, the second life of Solar Impulse, military and civilian, has yet to materialize. But Skydweller sees it big. Its management has announced the hiring of 120 employees between Spain and the United States, mostly engineers. Once the studies are finished, the plane could end its life in Switzerland, exhibited in a museum.

Editor note:

It is a shame for Switzerland to sell off its technological jewels in this way and to let these "brains" go abroad (like me) because they cannot find work in Switzerland and that the elected rulers do not understand (because they are all corrupt and stupid) what we do. Roland Berga.

Related links:

Skydweller Aero: https://skydweller.aero/

Solar Impulse: https://solarimpulse.com/

Related article(s):

Solar Impulse is back at home
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2016/11/solar-impulse-is-back-at-home.html

To read other Solar Impulse epic articles, type "Solar Impulse" in the search bar (top left) of my blog.

Images, Animation, Text, Credits: Investigation: Marc Renfer & Yann Dieuaide (SSR)/Solar Impulse/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Sadly, Orbiter.ch

The Solar Impulse flight to Le Bourget, where it will be the attraction of the show

Solar Impulse logo.


June 11, 2011

Solar Impulse, a solar airplane pilot, was found Saturday afternoon a favorable weather window to fly out of Brussels to go to Le Bourget, outside Paris, where he will be the guest of honor of the 49th International Aerospace Exhibition and space.

Solar Impulse departure from Brussels

The aircraft took off smoothly at 6:37 p.m. at the airport of Brussels-National, in a sky still partly cloudy, according to pictures posted on the website of the Solar Impulse (http://www.solarimpulse.com), on which the flight can be Live Coverage.

The rain and strong wind had prevented the aircraft designed by the Swiss psychiatrist and balloonist Bertrand Piccard to air as scheduled Saturday morning but the weather cleared in Brussels in the afternoon.

It is only the second international flight in its young history.

Video taken between Neufvilles and Montignies-les-Lens

This giant dragonfly, the size of an Airbus, but the weight of a car, can only fly if the wind blows on the track to less than 7 knots (about 13 km / h, ie).

The aircraft to climb to about 2,500 meters above sea level and will drive south-west. During his first hours of flight, the Solar Impulse can still store a little solar energy before sunset and rely on its batteries recharged in the sun Friday.

As a precaution, his teams have preferred to plan his arrival at Le Bourget as soon as possible to be certain to be there when the show opens, June 20

For the first time, organizers of the high mass of the aircraft have appointed a special guest, not least because this prototype, whose wings are covered with 12,000 solar cells, sits on the tarmac in the middle of the stars Aviation as the new A380 or Boeing 747-8.

The prototype Solar Impulse HB-SIA has a wingspan comparable to that of an Airbus A340

And if the weather allows, the Solar Impulse should fly every day of this show, which opens its doors to the public from June 24 to 26

Nevertheless, for its creators, the Solar Impulse is not intended for commercial application. The goal is for them to demonstrate technology solutions to the challenges of today and reach as many people as possible, "explained Bertrand Piccard, famous for having been around the world hot air balloon and from a family of explorers famous.

If an aircraft is capable of flying day and night without fuel, so nobody can say we can not use this system for cars, heating, air conditioning, etc.., "He pleaded. We must return to a search for solutions (...) and a pioneering spirit, he said, eyes sparkling.

The Solar Impulse landed at Brussels on May 13 after taking off thirteen hours earlier from the military airfield of Payerne Switzerland, completing its first international flight.

The solar powered aircraft Solar Impulse takeoff at Brussels, 11 June 2011

The aircraft with a wingspan of 64 meters weighs only 1.6 tons. He had already entered the history of aviation in ensuring flight first 24 hours without interruption and only propelled by solar panels and batteries in July 2010.

First failure for Solar Impulse has had to turn back in flight

The experimental solar plane Solar Impulse, which was to reach Le Bourget airport near Paris, was the first defeat of his young life Saturday after a series of problems in flight, forcing him to put the cap on Brussels to where he had left three hours earlier.

The aircraft, which took off at 6:37 p.m. at the airport of Brussels-National, had to turn back to 9:39 p.m. (7:39 p.m. GMT) shortly after the French town of Bavay (North), a few kilometers from the Belgian border, has told AFP spokeswoman of Solar Impulse. The announcement came after an article published on the blog of the adventure reporting difficulties in series.

There is no airstrip intermediary such as batteries and power decreased, we preferred to turn not to endanger the life of the pilot, Andre Borschberg, said the spokesman. But the plane will try again next week to reach Le Bourget, as soon as a window weather permits, she said. The Solar Impulse is the guest of honor of the 49th Paris Air Show, scheduled to open June 20. Saturday night, the pilot had to deal with such a big headwind, "she said.

The pilot was unable to return including the landing gear by hand, through 80 revolutions of the crank. Consequently, the landing gear remained extended, which slows the aircraft and increases energy expenditure, the team wrote this revolutionary aircraft.

Andre Borschberg was also forced to fly lower than expected due to cloud cover at 2,500 feet instead of 3500, it said on the blog. At first the landing gear was not damaged but it will be confirmed at the landing of the aircraft, said the spokesman. The rain and strong wind had prevented the aircraft designed by the Swiss psychiatrist and balloonist Bertrand Piccard to the air Saturday morning. But the weather cleared on Brussels in the afternoon.

We knew that the ultimate moment to take off was 18.30. However, we left at 6:36 p.m., just at the limit. We had some turbulence in the first two hours, which cost energy. (...) If we took off an hour earlier, it was not a problem to reach Le Bourget, said his side Raymond Clerc, head of mission at the site.

We have not had a mechanical problem, but the battery status, speed and the wind does not allow us to go to Paris, he added. This is the first failure for this prototype aircraft that entered the history of aviation in July 2010 providing a first flight of 24 hours without interruption and only propelled by solar panels and batteries.

The prototype, whose wings feed four electric motors of an output of 10 hp each, were then flown over Switzerland at an altitude of 150-300 m and a speed of 50 km / h.

The next goal of this project of 100 million Swiss francs (75 million) is to build a second prototype, larger and with better performance. This new device should be from 2013 an overview of the Atlantic, at which seasoned drivers will join the experiment.

Solar Impulse at Duebendorf, Switzerland

The ultimate goal of the team based in Duebendorf, Switzerland, is attempting a world tour in five steps to 2013 or 2014.

Images, Video, Text, Credits: AFP / KEYSTONE / Video: Internet user unidentified / Translation: Orbiter.ch.

Solar Impulse website, visit. http://www.solarimpulse.com


Greetings, Orbiter.ch

747 embeds Solar Impulse 2 for Abu Dhabi

SolarImpulse - Around the World logo.

January 7, 2014

Boeing 747-400 landed Monday at 4:50 p.m. on the military airfield of Payerne. From Luxembourg, he picked parts of Solar Impulse 2 for his world tour.

Image Above: During the night, the solar plane was loaded in the 747-400.

"This is a great day because we left Switzerland and Payerne, we received a wonderful welcome. The plane leaves the nest, "said Monday at ats Bertrand Piccard initiator and President of Solar Impulse.

"The next 48 hours will be a little tense, because the operation is extremely delicate," said André Borschberg, co-founder and CEO of Solar Impulse. With a wingspan of 72 meters, eight meters higher than the jumbo jet that will take him, the second Solar Impulse was dismantled into pieces, he said.

The wing was notably disassembled into three pieces 24 meters. "There is still 2 cm on each side of the entrance to get the parts," says Bertrand Piccard.

Solar Impulse 2 size comparison with Boeing 747-81

Far into the night

It is designed to withstand strong turbulence, the solar plane is fragile handling. Weighing 2,300 kg, it is larger and more delicate than its predecessor, the HB-SIA, which was sent to the United States in 2013.

For loading, the parts will be placed on a special holder designed for the occasion. They will then be securely fastened. A small mistake could result in delays in time, says André Borschberg. But the team of five, six specialists is well prepared for this operation, which was to last into the night.

Stop in Basel

Arrived almost empty to be able to land on the short runway of 2.2 km from the military airfield, the 747 had to leave Tuesday morning about 08:00, in charge of the 2,300 kilos of SI2. The giant air will fill kerosene and will take some equipment in Basel, before flying to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

The cost of the transaction amounts to approximately CHF 400,000, against 500,000 francs for the transport of the first solar airplane to the United States.

The departure approaches

Within the team, starting changes the perspective of a complex project that has undergone many stages: "Around the world, this time it's for that year; it feels, "reports the CEO.

Once at Al Bateen Airport in Abu Dhabi, the aircraft will be reassembled, tested, readjusted. From the end of January, he will perform some flight test to complete its preparation before the big trip planned in late February. The final program will be announced in Abu Dhabi on January 20, said Mr Borschberg.

Around the world in a dozen steps expected to last five months, from March to July. It should go through India, China, the United States, southern Europe or North Africa.

Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg will take turns in the cockpit. "One starts, the other end and we will have one each ocean," notes the project initiator.

Solar Impulse plane set to circle world using renewable energy

Flagship of Switzerland

"We can now use Solar Impulse as a symbol demonstrating that with clean technologies, we can do amazing things," says eco-adventurer. "The SI2 will be the flagship of Switzerland. It will show its innovative side. "

In twelve years, the project cost $ 150 million. "We have the money for a basic tour of the world. We are looking for partners for educational programs and materials for visits, notes Bertrand Piccard. "The more we have the means, the more we realize projects," he added.

Prototype in Paris

Bertrand Piccard does not yet know what will become the SI2 after its journey around the earth. In contrast, the HB-SIA will join the City of Science in Paris. There will be transported by truck in March. "This is an incredible opportunity. This museum technologies welcomes three million visitors a year, "says eco-adventurer.

As for the Solar Impulse team, she finally left the premises payernois until the end of 2015. "We will definitely need spare parts during the world tour," says Bertrand Piccard.

The cargo plane flew with his load around 8 am Tuesday to rally Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Solar Impulse 2 arrived in Abu Dhabi

Solar Impulse 2 arrived safely in Abu Dhabi, the starting point of its future around the world. The jumbo jet that carried the solar plane Tuesday at Payerne, UAE landed at 19:04 local time (3:04 p.m. Swiss time) at the airport in the capital.

The flight went very well, in good weather, said Claudia Durgnat, spokesman of Solar Impulse. A four-person team is currently working to unload the plane with Abu Dhabi airport staff.

Image Above: A "747" embarks Solar Impulse 2 for Abu Dhabi.

The SI 2 will then be installed in a shed to be reassembled, tested, readjusted. During Monday night, solar aircraft was loaded in pieces in a 747-400 arrived in the afternoon at Payerne. Tuesday, Boeing took off at 8:24 of the military airfield and made a stopover in Basel before flying to the UAE.

From the end of January, the SI 2 will perform some flight test to complete its preparation before the big trip planned for late February. Around the world in a dozen steps expected to last five months, from March to July. It should go through India, China, the United States, southern Europe or North Africa. In twelve years, the adventure of the solar airplane cost some 150 million.

For more information about Solar Impulse, visit: http://www.solarimpulse.com/

Images, Video, Text, Credits: Solar Impulse/ATS/Euronews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Solar Impulse Across America 2013: From Washington D.C. to New York City

Solar Impulse - Across America 2013 patch.

July 7, 2013

Prototype Plane Completes Across America Mission Powered Only by Solar Energy

Image above: Across America 2013:Final leg from Washington DC. to New-York City. Landing. Solar Impulse / Merz / Rezo.ch.

Solar Impulse – the solar-powered airplane of Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg – has successfully landed at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport setting a new milestone in the history of aviation: for the first time a plane capable of flying day and night powered exclusively by solar energy has crossed the USA from the West to the East Coasts without using a single drop of fuel.

Across America: Landing in New York JFK

André Borschberg, Solar Impulse Co-founder and CEO, landed Solar Impulse at JFK on Saturday, July 6 at 11:09 p.m. EDT, 3 hours earlier than planned because of a rip in the fabric on the lower side of the left wing. The flight took 18h 23min with a departure from Washington Dulles at 04:46 a.m. EDT on Saturday.

Flight Washington KIAD - New-York KJFK

- Pilot: André Borschberg, Co-Founder and CEO

- Take off : July 6th 04:46AM EDT (UTC-4)

- Landing: July 6th 11:09PM EDT (UTC-4)

- Flight duration: 18h23min

- Average ground speed: 27km/h (15 kts)

- Highest altitude reached: 3110 m (10 200 ft)

- Flight Distance: 495 km (~267 NM)

“This last leg was especially difficult due to the damage of the fabric on the left wing. It obliged the team to envisage all the possible scenarios, including bailing out over the Atlantic. But this type of problem is inherent to every experimental endeavor. In the end, this didn’t prevent us from succeeding in our Across America mission and provided an invaluable learning experience in preparation for the round-the-world tour in 2015,” said André Borschberg shortly after landing, adding “we extend our gratitude to all airport and government authorities whose precious support made this mission possible.”

Image above: Across America 2013:Final leg from Washington DC. to New-York City. Checking of the damages on the wing. Solar Impulse / Merz / Rezo.ch.

The arrival of Solar Impulse in New York City marks the culmination of its ambitious journey Across America, which started on May 3rd in San Francisco, California. The journey took a total of 105h 41min and 3511 miles flown at an average speed of 28.8 kt. Before reaching New York, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg alternately flew Solar Impulse to Phoenix, Dallas-Fort Worth, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Washington D.C. The plane stopped over in each of these cities giving the opportunity to the team to organize public viewings and political meetings with high level representatives such as Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, to promote clean technologies, energy efficiency and renewable energies.

Image above: Across America 2013:Final leg from Washington DC. to New-York City. A. Borschberg and B. Piccard just after the successful landing. Solar Impulse / Merz / Rezo.ch.

“Flying coast-to-coast has always been a mythical milestone full of challenges for aviation pioneers. During this journey, we had to find solutions for a lot of unforeseen situations, which obliged us to develop new skills and strategies. In doing so, we also pushed the boundaries of clean technologies and renewable energies to unprecedented levels,” said Dr. Bertrand Piccard, Solar Impulse Initiator, Chairman and pilot.

For more information about Solar Impulse, visit: http://www.solarimpulse.com/

Image (mentioned), Video, Text, Credit: Solar Impulse.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Solar Impulse will fly the United States in 2013

Solar Impulse Across America.

Feb. 20, 2013

Solar Impulse Across America

The solar airplane of Bertrand Piccard will hover for two months over the USA. This journey should take place next summer. Four steps are planned.

Researcher and aviation pioneer Bertrand Piccard Solar will fly Solar Impulse in 2013 the United States from west to east. The journey should take about two months at the speed of 70 km / h. Four steps are planned between San Francisco and New York.

A Boeing 747 landed Wednesday on the military airfield of Payerne (AB) Switzerland. He came searching for spare parts of Solar Impulse for his journey to the United States. Boeing will leave Thursday morning.

Solar Impulse loading on board a Boeing 747 in Payerne AB

The aircraft landed at 17:30. A kiss black, more than a hundred curious transistor attended the arrival of the jumbo jet company Cargolux. The device from Luxembourg is posed as a flower on the short track military.

Loading nose

His arrival was a challenge, said André Borschberg, Director of Solar Impulse. He has had to verify that the tarmac is strong enough to support this giant air.

Solar Impulse loading on board a Boeing 747 in Payerne AB

The jumbo jet has indeed the same scale as the solar airplane, or 64 meters. But it weighs 257 times more than this one: 1600 kg for Solar Impulse against 412'770 kg for 747. It is the only feasible means of transport for a camera so small and fragile, the CEO noted.

Gaping nose, the plane was loaded with the help of cranes. Main deck house hosted the HB-SIA parts. Among them, the fuselage and the wing disassembled into three parts, batteries and engine.

Solar Impulse loading on board a Boeing 747 in Payerne AB

Three accompanying

Giant airs join Moffett Airfield, on the California coast, near the center of NASA research in the heart of Silicon Valley. The Jumbo Jet arrive at its destination Thursday around 20:30 or 12:30 in the United States. It will make a stop in Luxembourg to refuel and load additional equipment.

Three engineers and technicians Solar Impulse will travel. They ensure that safety requirements are met and handling during unloading of the machine.

Presentation to the President

The plane will be reassembled in early March in anticipation of its mission "Across America". After flying from Switzerland to Morocco last year, the prototype will attempt to perform the legendary flight from the west coast to the east coast, from San Francisco to Washington DC and New York.

The plane and pilot Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg be ready to go around May 1. The journey should be completed in New York in July, noted André Borschberg. "Our goal is to make at least four stops, not to go fast," he said.

SolarImpulse description

"The interest in this prototype is strong in the country aviation pioneer. We have contacts in Congress, with universities, with companies in Silicon Valley. We also hope to present the aircraft to President Barack Obama, "said the driver.

Find partners

The aim is not only to make the project, but also to find partners on the continent, and Asia. China in particular is very interested in these new technologies, reported André Borschberg.

The operational cost of the journey to the United States amounted to $ 2.5 million. It includes transportation and infrastructure. The million allocated to Presence Switzerland will communication activities and media, he said.

"Overall Operation Solar Impulse is expected to reach 130 million. We are still looking for 30 million ", said the aviator.

SolarImpulse across Bourget, Switzerland

The second way

The HB-SIA will return to Switzerland in early September. Its drivers to precede the end of July.

The second prototype, HB-SIB, is under construction in Dübendorf,  Switzerland. The assembly will be done soon. Should join Payerne in early 2014. Its interior and its technology should be presented in November. Then testing can begin.

"In two years starts around the world. End of March 2015 is tomorrow for us, "noted Andre Borschberg.

Fore more information about Solar Impulse, visit: http://www.solarimpulse.com/

Images, Text, Credits: SolarImpulse / ATS / Newsnet / Keystone / Translation: Orbiter.ch Aerospace.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Solar Impulse grounded several months in Hawaii

SolarImpulse - Around The World patch.

July 15, 2015

The batteries of the solar aircraft suffered "irreversible" damage during flight between Nagoya (Japan) and Hawaii, said Wednesday the operation's press service.

Solar Impulse 2 landing in Hawaii

Solar Impulse must remain in Hawaii (USA) through early spring 2016. The batteries of the solar aircraft suffered "irreversible" damage during flight between Nagoya (Japan) and Hawaii, said Wednesday press service of the operation.

Solar Impulse must remain in Hawaii (USA) through early spring 2016. The damage to some parts of the batteries need repairs that will last "several months." Meanwhile, the Solar Impulse team will study various alternatives for better cooling or heating devices for very long flights, the statement said.

During the first ascent of the first day of the flight between Nagoya and Hawaii, the battery temperature has risen because of the high degree of slope and excess insulation. Despite efforts by the Solar Impulse team, it was not possible to reduce the temperature thereafter.

Misjudgment

The damage to the batteries are not "technical failure or technological weakness but rather a poor assessment of the mission profile and the battery cooling system. The battery temperature during ascents and descents in a tropical climate had not been planned properly, "writes Solar Impulse.

Solar Impulse 2 landed in Hawaii, exposed on the hangar of the airport

Solar Impulse has however not give up because of this problem. The solar airplane of Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg will try to complete his world tour in 2016. This delay will do nothing to change the goals of this pioneering company, the statement said.

Party Abu Dhabi on March 9, Solar Impulse 2 has accomplished so far almost 18,000 kilometers. It landed on July 3 on the island of Oahu after a Pacific crossing from Japan 8200 km.

Related article:

A battery problem grounded in Hawaii Solar Impulse 2: http://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.ch/2015/07/a-battery-problem-grounded-in-hawaii.html

For more information about SolarImpulse Around The World, visit: http://www.solarimpulse.com/

Images, Text, Credits: SolarImpulse/ATS/Orbiter.ch Aerospace.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Solar Impulse fly to Morocco, to conquer a new continent

SolarImpulse Destination Morocco patch.

June 5, 2012

The Solar Impulse set sail Tuesday on Morocco after taking off at dawn in Madrid, for the first time to conquer a new continent.

Image above: Technicians and the Swiss driver Bernard Piccard preparing the Solar Impulse before his flight to Morocco, June 5, 2012 in Madrid (AFP Dominique Faget).

The plane, piloted by Bertrand Piccard Switzerland, co-founder of the project, flew smoothly, almost silently, the airport of Madrid-Barajas to 5:22 (3:22 ​​GMT). He headed to the south of Spain, flying, at sunrise, landscapes flooded with light.

For an hour I had a full moon on my right and the sunrise on my left, it's absolutely magical. I had all the colors of the rainbow in the sky and also on land, told from the cockpit Bertrand Piccard, explorer, 54, reached by telephone by AFP.

Solar Impulse is the first aircraft designed to fly day and night without fuel or polluting emissions, thanks to solar energy.

The carbon fiber aircraft is powered by four electric motors, a power of 10 horsepower each, powered by 12,000 photocells covering its huge wing.

Energy is stored during the day in batteries, allowing the aircraft to fly at night.

Image above: The Solar Impulse solar aircraft took off from Madrid, 201 June 5 (AFP Dominique Faget).

Solar Impulse has the wingspan of an Airbus A340 (63.4 meters) but weighs only 1.6 tons, or the weight of an average car.

At sunrise, a camera mounted on the aircraft has released images of the valleys south of Madrid, while the aircraft was en route to Seville in southern Spain.

The goal is not to use solar energy for normal aircraft, the pilot explained.

The goal is to prove that we can achieve outstanding goals, almost impossible with new technologies, without fuel, and make people aware that if we can do in heaven, of course anyone can do it on the ground .

After flying over the south of Spain at 3,600 meters and a speed of about 40 km / hour, Bertrand Piccard should gradually lead his plane at 8,500 meters above the Strait of Gibraltar, before entering the Moroccan airspace and flying over the port of Tangier.

The landing is scheduled in Rabat from 11 p.m. (2200 GMT).

The solar plane had arrived in Madrid on May 25, from Switzerland, for a scheduled stop, but had been off again since because of the wind.

I think the challenge really is to succeed the first intercontinental flight using solar energy, said Bertrand Piccard.

SolarImpulse description

We will leave Europe to come into Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar, bringing a message of support to the Moroccan agency of solar energy, which is preparing a comprehensive solar program, very ambitious for this country, he added driver.

According to the organizers of the flight, it was planned to coincide with the launch of construction of the largest solar thermal plant ever built in Morocco, in the region of Ouarzazate in the south.

The solar plane, then controlled by the co-founder of the project, Switzerland André Borschberg, aged 59, took off on May 24 at Payerne in Switzerland for a journey of 2,500 kilometers in total to Morocco, with a stopover in Madrid .

This is a rehearsal for the world tour of Solar Impulse in 2014.

Seven years of work went to a team of 70 people and 80 partners to build this revolutionary aircraft.

Solar Impulse had entered the history of aviation looping, in July 2010, a first flight of 24 hours without interruption and only powered by its solar panels and batteries.

Solar Impulse Mission Control website: http://live.solarimpulse.com/

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: AFP / Translation: Orbiter.ch.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Solar Impulse Across America 2013: From Cincinnati to Washington

Solar Impulse Across America 2013 patch.

June 16, 2013

Humor makes it happen

Image above: Across America 2013: 4th leg from Cincinnati to Washington DC. A. Borschberg waiting the landing on the runway. Solar Impulse / Revillard / Rezo.ch.

Bertrand gracefully touched down on runway 19L at Dulles International Airport at 00:15 AM EDT (UTC-4), Sunday June 16th. Bertrand had a chance to get some incredible shots above the Appalachians and the solar airplane was in great shape despite the quasi-shower it experienced this morning before take-off. The fog that lingered over Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport caused condensation to form on the wings which the Ground Crew had to meticulously wipe off with cloths and pipettes. But at least Solar Impulse is now shiny and clean, ready to show off to the public!

Image above: Across America 2013: 4th leg from Cincinnati to Washington DC. A. Borschberg and B. Piccard just after the landing. Solar Impulse / Revillard / Rezo.ch.

Leg 4: Cincinnati KLUK – Washington KIAD

- Pilot: Bertrand Piccard, Initiator and Chairman

- Take off : June 15th 10:11 AM EDT (UTC-4)

- Landing: June 16th 00: 15 AM EDT (UTC-4)

- Flight duration: 14h04min

- Average ground speed: 50 km/h (27 kt/h)

- Highest altitude reached: 3048 m (10 000 ft)

- Flight Distance: 702 km (~379 NM)

Bertrand and André are thrilled to be in Washington D.C., the nation’s capital but also the first stop on the East Coast before going to New York City. It was also an emotional flight on a more personal level: it was Bertrand’s last mission flight in the cockpit of HB-SIA. What a wonderful way to say goodbye to the prototype that has exceeded all expectations! André will be taking the controls for the final leg of the Across America adventure, connecting Washington D.C. to New York City.

Across America 2013: 4th leg from Cincinnati to Washington DC. B. Piccard receiving some sweetness from Washington, exactly what he needs after such a long flight! Solar Impulse |Revillard| Rezo.ch.

The entire Solar Impulse team worked really hard to make this mission a success as well as to turn it into an unforgettable and symbolic final adventure of the solar airplane, HB-SIA, that’s so dear to all of us. The adrenaline and excitement are palpable as the mission is slowly coming to end and none of this would have been possible without the team. In fact, the key to success is a four letter word: T-E-A-M. From the Engineers, to the Meteorologists; from the Marketing and Communications team to the Logistics team; from the Press to Multimedia to the Ground Crew; from the ATC to the Analysts; it was all made possible thanks to professionalism, passion and especially humor! Between the intense moments of concentration, there is always room for fooling around and cracking a joke, an essential ingredient to keep us all going.

Solar Impulse Landing in Washington

Today, Sunday 16th an Open House will be organized from 1PM to 5PM. Everybody is welcome as the entrance is free while parking is $15 before 4PM. Just go to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center; for directions click here: http://airandspace.si.edu/visit/directions/directions_uhc.cfm

For more information about Solar Impulse, Visit: http://solarimpulse.com/

Images (mentioned), Video, Text, Credit: Solar Impulse.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Solar Impulse 2 has completed its second step

SolarImpulse Around the World patch.

March 10, 2015

Solar Impulse 2 landed safely in Ahmadabad, India, the second step.

 Solar Impulse takes off from Oman on second-leg of record breaking trip

The airplane Solar Impulse 2 (SI2) landed Tuesday, March 10 in India, the second stage of his tour of the historical world without fuel, to promote clean energy.

Party of Muscat Airport, the capital of Oman, at 6:35 local time, the revolutionary device only solar traveled 1465 km in just under 16 hours to Ahmedabad, the main city of the State of Gujarat in western India.

Image Above: Solar Impulse will travel 1465 km in sixteen hours to Ahmedabad in western India. Image Credits: Jean Revillard, Solar Impulse.

The aircraft landed on the airport Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at 11:25 p.m. (5:55 p.m. in Switzerland). Images, broadcast live on the website, show white and blue lights of the aircraft in the night with the approach of Ahmedabad, where he must stay four days.

Applauded Piccard

In the control room, applause rang out to greet the pilot, Bertrand Piccard, who was at the controls for this trip over the Arabian Sea.

Image above: Bertrand Piccard pilot of the SI2 during the second step. Image Credits: Jean Revillard, Solar Impulse.

Eight hours after takeoff, the aircraft entered Pakistani airspace at an altitude of 8,230 meters, according to the Twitter account of the Swiss driver. Earlier, Bertrand Piccard had tweeted: "When I relax, I breathe so slowly that it triggers the alarm in the cockpit."

Bertrand Piccard, 57, noted in the cockpit of his compatriot André Borschberg, 63, who had successfully secured the first step Monday by connecting in 13 hours and two minutes Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates in Muscat.

35,000 kilometers in total

This flight was "moving", said André Borschberg, smiling, on his arrival in Oman. He explained that the trip was taken at 6000 meters above sea level, as it was a short trip.

Solar Impulse 2 landing. Image Credits: Jean Revillard, Solar Impulse

After India, SI2 will travel to Burma before the longest leg of the journey: Five consecutive days of flight to a single driver loaded rally Nanjing, China, the US islands of Hawaii, the Pacific .

In total, the unit will travel 35,000 kilometers at a modest speed (between 50 and 100 km / h), flying over two oceans. This convolution, at 8500 meters at maximum altitude, take five months, including 25 days of actual flight before returning to Abu Dhabi late July / early August.

Round-The-World Solar Flight - Follow it live: http://www.solarimpulse.com/leg-2-from-Muscat-to-Ahmedabad

For more information about Solar Impulse 2, visit: http://www.solarimpulse.com/

Images (mentioned), Video, Text, Credits: SolarImpulse / Euronews / Orbiter.ch Aerospace.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Solar Impulse re-enters ‘Mission Mode’

SolarImpulse - Around The World patch.

April 14, 2016

Before every great takeoff, there is a moment of hesitancy, -of trepidation, -of uncertainty. That might perturb some, but it is this sensation that the Solar Impulse team lives for. Now, we are stepping forward and have truly entered “Mission Mode.”

You might be wondering where Solar Impulse is at-and what’s going to happen next? The past two months have been filled with preparations: maintenance and training flights. We have completed both Bertrand Piccard’s last high altitude flight and André Borschberg’s last training flight these past two weeks. Now our pilots are fully prepared to take on the next big challenge: the flight from Hawaii to North America.

The past eight months have exemplified the team spirit, embracing setbacks and seeing them as opportunities. After replacing the batteries that overheated during the flight from Nagoya to Hawaii, the countdown has now started for the Solar Impulse team to finish what they started, and head back to their departure point: Abu Dhabi.

Last year, we conquered the skies with the sun’s power from Abu Dhabi, across Oman, India, Myanmar, China, and Japan until reaching Hawaii. Soon, we will attempt to complete the circumference of the earth, from Hawaii, over the Pacific Ocean, across North America, over the Atlantic Ocean, and across Europe or North Africa, finally landing in Abu Dhabi once again.

Weather allowing, we could take-off for our flight over the Pacific Ocean soon. I’m sure you have never had a job that depends on the weather so much, huh? As we all know, the weather can change at any minute, so our engineers at the Mission Control Center in Monaco are busy searching for a weather window. What exactly does that entail?

Finding a weather window is the outcome of a tight collaboration between:

    our Air Traffic Control (ATC) team;
    our meteorologists;
    our mission engineers;
    and the ALTRAN team that executes flight simulations.

 
They all work together to identify the best possible options to fly. ALTRAN, a Solar Impulse partner, has provided us with a software that illustrates Si2’s flight path through forecasted weather conditions and ATC routes in order to evaluate whether the aircraft can fly while identifying the path Si2 should follow. If the flight path is clear until the final destination, the aircraft can safely proceed to its landing point.

At Solar Impulse, we are opportunists in the sense that we always take advantage of weather windows that provide clear flight paths for Si2 to fly. The first Mission Flight of this year will be long, lasting several days in order to cross the rest of the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to North America. Before takeoff, our team undergoes regular simulations in order to receive the most accurate weather forecast during the flight. It is only a few hours before the flight that we can fully confirm it will take place. This state of unknown lasts until the aircraft has taken off and reached the point of no return and is what ultimately motivates all Solar Impulse members, enabling us to become closer than a team: a family.

We have prepared a lot of interesting information for you that will be released in the coming days, leading up to the upcoming flight over the Pacific Ocean. To start with, here is a video about Solar Impulse’s time in Hawaii!

Solar Impulse's time in Hawaii

We will surely take the first possible opportunity to resume our adventure and will let you know as soon as an opening comes up! If you haven’t already, subscribe on the link bellow to make sure you receive our updates.
http://www.solarimpulse.com/subscribe

For more information about Solar Impulse Around the World, visit: http://blog.solarimpulse.com/

Images, Video, Text, Credit: SolarImpulse.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Solar Impulse 2 land and take off from Varanasi

SolarImpulse - Around the World patch.

March 18, 2015

The solar plane has completed the third phase of its Indian world tour. After taking off Wednesday morning from Ahmedabad, the aircraft landed in the holy city of the north in the evening March 18, 2015.

Image above: The solar plane has completed the third phase of its Indian world tour. After taking off Wednesday morning Ahmedabad (photo), the aircraft landed in the holy city of the north in the evening.

Solar Impulse landed Wednesday evening in Varanasi in northern India after more than fourteen hour flight and a thousand kilometers, according to images broadcast on its YouTube channel.

The unit led by the Vaudois André Borschberg took off Wednesday at 7:18 (2:48 hours in Switzerland) Ahmedabad northwest India. After a nine-hour stop in Indian holy city, he will leave Thursday morning for Mandalay, Burma, before continuing his run to China.

Solar Impulse 2 Asia run

The fog had prevented Solar Impulse take off from Ahmedabad Tuesday as planned. The revolutionary device was initially even start Sunday, but had been prevented by bad weather.

Indian bureaucracy criticized

Bertrand Piccard had complained earlier Wednesday slowness of the Indian bureaucracy. The driver explained that the take-off of the unit of Ahmedabad in the western state of Gujarat, was delayed because of red tape.

"The delay is due to the administration, papers, pads," he said. "I'm not here to accuse anyone. I'm just saying that in the last five days, we tried to gather the necessary buffers and every day, we were told 'tomorrow'. " "For five days we try to have buffers and we are still missing", stressed Bertrand Piccard.

By performing a world tour in twelve steps, the two Swiss Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg want to show that clean and renewable energy technologies can perform feats far considered as "impossible".

Bertrand Piccard the pilot of the fourth step around the world

Solar Impulse took off for its fourth flight from Varanasi (Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, VNS/VIBN) in the Republic of India, to Mandalay (Mandalay International Airport, MDL/VYMD) in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar at 23:52 UTC.

Solar Impulse 2 ready for take off from Varanasi

The pilot is flying the zero-fuel airplane on about 1408km (760NM) for an estimated time of 20 hours. South of the Himalayas, the meeting of the jet streams can cause difficult crosswind for Si2.

 Solar Impulse 2 actually in flight on this morning March 19, 2015

The pit-stop is the opportunity for pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg to share the symbol of Solar Impulse with the people of Varanasi.

For more information about Solar Impulse 2 Flight Around the World and follow it live: http://www.solarimpulse.com/rtw

Images, Text, Credits: SolarImpulse/ATS/Orbiter.ch Aerospace.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch