Solar Impulse Forced to Abort Pacific Crossing From Japan to Hawaii
Image courtesy of Solar Impulse.
It was another disappointing day for the Solar Impulse Team. After waiting for the right weather conditions for the past three weeks, the solar aviation pioneers thought they were finally going to get the chance to make the first crossing of the Pacific in a solar powered airplane.
Solar Impulse was taken out of its hangar, pilot Andre Borschberg boarded the aircraft and prepared for takeoff. The solar plane taxied out to the takeoff position and waited for the go ahead. Meanwhile, back at Mission Control, there were intense discussions concerning the changing weather over the Pacific.
The trip from Nagoya, Japan to Hawaii will take Solar Impulse 5 days and 5 nights to complete. The weather window they had anticipated closed when a rain front destroyed their planned trajectory. The front would have produced clouds on the fourth morning of the trip, when the team would need sunshine to recharge plane’s solar cells.
The Solar Impulse Team is now looking for another weather window that will enable them to make the Pacific crossing as safely as possible. We wish the team well, as we know they are very disappointed.
About Tracey Smith
Tracey is an accountant and entrepreneur with a passion for nature. This passion is what spurred her interest in renewable energy, and the rest is history as they say. Tracey is a principal in Energy Think Group, the publisher of Solar Thermal Magazine and Tek-Think. She is also the principal at Women’s Financial Help Desk. She spends her free time in the outdoors with her horses and dogs. She loves to travel.
Tags: Bertrand Picard, SI2, solar, solar impulse, solar plane, solar pv
