Prototype presented on 5th November

Nov 7, 2007 16:07 GMT  ·  By

The Solar Impulse Project plans to have an airplane take off and fly autonomously, day and night, propelled only by the energy of the sunlight, so far an unachievable goal without pushing back the current technological limits in all fields. During the day it will be powered by highly efficient solar cells that will both power up the electric motors of the aircraft and charge accumulators as well, for night flight.

Countless calculations, studies and simulations brought the Solar Impulse project on a concrete phase which will be completed with the construction of a prototype, with a 61 meter wingspan. The prototype's mission will be to validate the selected construction procedures and technologies by the year 2009, which will conclude with a 36-hour flight, equivalent to a complete day-night-day cycle without carrying any kind of fuel.

This is a long-term project, that began in 2003 with the feasibility study at the Ecole Polytechnique F?d?rale de Lausanne and will end with a five stage tentative to complete the tour of the world from the years 2010 to 2011.

The Solar Impulse prototype has been unveiled on the 5th of November 2007, and represents an amazing feat of engineering and design.

The aircraft is made up of lightweight super strong carbon fiber, covered with a layer of high power photoelectric cell. In comparison with an Airbus A380, the Solar Impulse prototype and the Super Jumbo Jet have an equal wingspan. To continue the comparison, the same Airbus A380 has a total weight of 580 tonnes, while the Solar Impulse hardly reaches 1.5 tonnes.

The most ambitious aviation project of its days, Solar Impulse promises to revolutionize air travel, but in a different way than the commercial companies these days. Airbus created a larger aircraft that could carry 800 passengers and reach a top speed of more than 560 mph, while the Solar Impulse program focuses more on the energy it uses to power itself. It will have just one seat and will reach a speed of 40 mph.

In flight it will follow a trajectory that will avoid cloudy areas, so the solar cells can better exploit the available sunlight. The most difficult part of a journey that will take a full day-night cycle is the storing of energy during daytime, so the aircraft will have enough energy during nighttime to stay in the air. During the day, the airplane will have an ascending trajectory and will slowly descend during the night to maximize the energy use.

The Solar Impulse program aims at copying the achievements of aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, who was the first man ever to accomplish a non-strop transatlantic flight and includes a transatlantic flight in 2011. The team working on the project is composed of 50 specialists from six countries from multi-disciplinary areas and has a funding support of about 94 million dollars.

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Artistic impression of Solar Impulse in flight
Comparison between Solar Impulse and A380
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