Solar_Impulse_2_RTW_AbuDhabi

Two Swiss pilots attempting the first flight around the world in a solar-powered plane completed the maiden leg of their voyage from Abu Dhabi to Oman.

Solar Impulse 2 took off on Monday to start a five-month journey of 22,000 miles (35,000 km) organized to focus the world’s attention on sustainable energy.

The two pilots, organization co-founders, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschbergtaking, will take turns in the single-seat aircraft hope to finish circumnavigating the Earth by July of this year. Several legs of the trip will span thousands of miles, carrying the alternating pilots over two oceans without a single drop of fuel.

The plane’s giant wings, which are longer than a Boeing 747, include 17,000 solar cells that harvest energy for its three lithium-ion batteries that will keep four propellers going all night.

(WATCH the video below or READ more from Reuters)

Photo credit: Solar Impulse

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