Solar plane to make second Morocco flight bid Thursday

Jun 20, 2012
Pioneering Swiss aircraft Solar Impulse during a flying display at the Paris International Air Show at Le Bourget airport near Paris in June 2011. Solar Impulse, the solar-powered aircraft that last week was forced to abandon a bid to fly across the Moroccan desert, will make a second attempt tomorrow, said a member of the project team Wednesday.

Solar Impulse, the solar-powered aircraft that last week was forced to abandon a bid to fly across the Moroccan desert, will make a second attempt, said a member of the project team Wednesday.

"The plane will take off again on Thursday morning from Rabat airport and will land at Ouarzazate airport around 2200 GMT," the team member told AFP.

The Solar Impulse team has launched the Swiss-made plane -- which flies without a drop of fuel -- on its first inter-continental trip ahead of a planned bid to fly round the world in 2014.

The planned desert flight from the Moroccan capital to the southern town of Ouarzazate on June 13 was abandoned due to strong winds and turbulence near the Atlas mountains.

Ouarzazate is the final goal in a flight that began in Payerne in Switzerland on May 24, when set out for Madrid, the first stage of the planned trip to cross the Mediterranean and fly from Europe to Africa.

The giant high-tech aircraft, which has the of a but weighs no more than a medium-sized car, is fitted with 12,000 feeding four electric motors driving propellers.

Explore further: Solar plane team awaits date for new Moroccan flight

add to favorites email to friend print save as pdf

Related Stories

Solar-powered plane to fly to Moroccan desert

Jun 12, 2012

The Swiss sun-powered plane Solar Impulse is preparing to take off Wednesday from Rabat to southern Morocco's desert region in its first, and potentially dangerous, flight in a hot and arid climate.

Sun-powered plane trip delayed by wind

May 28, 2012

The Swiss sun-powered aircraft Solar Impulse has been delayed by strong winds during a stop-off on its first planned intercontinental flight, organisers said on Monday.

Recommended for you

Morocco to harness the wind in energy hunt

8 hours ago

Morocco is ploughing ahead with a programme to boost wind energy production, particularly in the southern Tarfaya region, where Africa's largest wind farm is set to open in 2014.

Energy-positive with natural ventilation

May 17, 2013

Buildings can be air-conditioned using entirely natural means, without mechanical ventilation systems. This is the claim made by 78-year-old Benjamin Bronsema, who will be awarded his PhD for his thesis on the subject at ...

CTRL+P: Printing Australia's largest solar cells

May 16, 2013

(Phys.org) —The printer has allowed researchers from the Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consortium (VICOSC) – a collaboration between CSIRO, The University of Melbourne, Monash University and industry partners ...

User comments : 0

More news stories

Morocco to harness the wind in energy hunt

Morocco is ploughing ahead with a programme to boost wind energy production, particularly in the southern Tarfaya region, where Africa's largest wind farm is set to open in 2014.

US seizes Bitcoin operator accounts

US authorities seized the accounts of a Bitcoin digital currency exchange operator, claiming it was functioning as an "unlicensed money service business," court documents showed Friday.

Galaxy's Ring of Fire

Johnny Cash may have preferred this galaxy's burning ring of fire to the one he sang about falling into in his popular song. The "starburst ring" seen at center in red and yellow hues is not the product of ...

US psychiatry gets makeover in new manual

The latest makeover to a massive psychiatric tome honored by some, reviled by others and even called the "Bible" of mental disorders is being released Saturday with a host of new changes.