Facts & figures
On the route to the first round-the-world flight in a manned solar aircraft there will be two airplanes. The “Solar Impulse HB-SIA” prototype was unveiled to the world public for the first time on June 26th, 2009. As the first solar airplane, in 2010 it already proved that it is possible to fly all night long solely powered by the sun. The record-breaking airplane “Solar Impulse HB-SIB”, in which Piccard and Borschberg will circumnavigate the globe starting from 2014, is supposed to exceed the dimensions and performance of the prototype.
Prototype “Solar Impulse HB-SIA”:
- Wingspan: 63.4 m – comparable to the Airbus A340
- Maximum weight: 1,600 kg – as little as a middle sized car
- Body: carbon fibre, sandwich structure
- Batteries: lithium polymer, 400 kg, minimum energy density 200 Wh
- Solar cells: mono-crystalline silicon, 180 micron thick, 200 sqm surface, 22% photovoltaic efficiency
- Temperature conditions: + 80°C to -45°C
- Engine power: max. 30 kW in total
- Average speed: 70 km/h
other main partners: Omega, Schindler and Solvay