Solar impulse 2
Image: Milko Vuille, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The experimental solar-powered aircraft Solar impulse 2 crashed into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Mississippi on May 4 during an unmanned test flight conducted by Skydweller Aero.
Preliminary information from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) indicates that the plane lost power shortly after takeoff from Stennis International Airport and crashed in international waters near Bay St. Louis. There were no fatalities or injuries as the flight was unmanned.
Developed by Swiss aviation pioneers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, Solar Impulse 2 was originally built as a demonstrator for solar-powered flight. Between 2015 and 2016 it completed the first trip around the world by a fixed-wing aircraft powered solely by solar energy, covering approximately 42,000 km over 17 legs.
The aircraft was sold in 2019 to Skydweller Aero, which converted it into an autonomous, sustainable platform for surveillance, communications and testing applications for civil and defense programs. It maintained a wingspan comparable to that of a Boeing 747 and was equipped with approximately 17,000 photovoltaic cells integrated into the wings.
The investigation is still ongoing and no final decision on the technical cause of the crash has been released. Preliminary reports indicate a loss of power prior to impact, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft.
While the crash marks the end of the particular airframe that achieved a milestone in solar aviation, the Solar Impulse project remains a benchmark for demonstrating the feasibility of long-haul flight without fossil fuels.
This content is copyrighted and may not be reused. If you would like to collaborate with us and reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
Popular content
