A Swiss team planning to complete the first round-the-world solar flight next year has unveiled a new version of the plane they say can remain in the air indefinitely.
Pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg say the Solar Impulse 2 improves upon the prototype that first took to the air five years ago.
The updated plane was presented to the world on April 9 at the Payerne Air Force Base in Switzerland.
The plane has better batteries for storing energy soaked up from the sun by the thousands of solar cells that cover its massive wings.
The single-seater prototype has already demonstrated that a solar airplane can fly through the night, between two continents and across the United States.
Pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg say the Solar Impulse 2 improves upon the prototype that first took to the air five years ago.
The updated plane was presented to the world on April 9 at the Payerne Air Force Base in Switzerland.
The plane has better batteries for storing energy soaked up from the sun by the thousands of solar cells that cover its massive wings.
The single-seater prototype has already demonstrated that a solar airplane can fly through the night, between two continents and across the United States.