Manned Sun-Powered Plane To Attempt Flying Around World Day and Night

June 29, 2009 4:23 p.m. EST

Zurich, Switzerland (AHN) - The man who flew a balloon around the world has unveiled a solar-powered airplane that he hopes to fly night and day around the world.

The Solar Impulse HB-SIA has a wingspan of 224 feet - the same as a Boeing 747 - but weighs about the same as a car, according to Bertrand Piccard during a press conference at an airport outside Zurich.

More than 12,000 solar cells mounted on the wings power four 10-horsepower electric motors. Lithium polymer batteries charged by the cells supply power to the motors during the night.

"In a world dominated by fossil fuels, and given the urgent need to find sustainable solutions, the Solar Impulse project sets out to demonstrate the potential of renewable energies and to promote their use," Piccard and fellow developer André Borschberg said in a statement. "It is also a symbol of the energy savings that can be accomplished using new technologies. The pioneering spirit which enabled man to conquer the planet and space in the 20th century should today allow us to find solutions to reduce our dependence on oil, not by reducing mobility and personal comfort, but by creating dreams, hope and enthusiasm."

Piccard said he hopes to test fly the plane by the end of the year and have a night flight in 2010.

By 2012, Piccard said he hopes to fly an upgraded version of the plane around the world in 36 hours.

Piccard is no stranger to around-the-world flight. In 1990 he claimed the title as the first person to circumnavigate the globe in a hot air balloon.