News

Actions

Solar-powered plane completes its round-the-world journey

Posted

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Solar Impulse 2 plane has landed in Abu Dhabi more than a year after its initial take off, completing the first round-the-world flight to be powered solely by the sun's energy.

The pre-dawn landing Tuesday by pilot Bertrand Piccard marks the end of an epic 25,000-mile (40,000-kilometer) journey. The plane made 16 stops, including in India, China, the U.S., Italy, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates — where it first took off.

The Swiss-engineered single-seater aircraft is powered by 17,248 solar cells and runs on battery power at night. Its average airspeed was 46 mph (75khm), though that increased during the day when the sun's rays were strongest.

It took 70 hours for the plane to cross the Atlantic and 118 hours across the Pacific.

,

Weather

Daily Forecast

View Hourly Forecast

Day

Conditions

HI / LO

Precip

Sunday

11/09/2025

Sunny

86° / 55°

0%

Monday

11/10/2025

Partly Cloudy

83° / 56°

1%

Tuesday

11/11/2025

Partly Cloudy

82° / 61°

1%

Wednesday

11/12/2025

AM Clouds/PM Sun

79° / 58°

0%

Thursday

11/13/2025

Rain

66° / 49°

88%

Friday

11/14/2025

AM Showers

59° / 49°

41%

Saturday

11/15/2025

Mostly Sunny

60° / 46°

14%

Sunday

11/16/2025

Partly Cloudy

64° / 47°

9%