Solar Impulse, a prototype of an airplane designed to fly around the world using only solar power, made its first real flight today. As the sun shone down on the Swiss countryside an aircraft ...

Miller sees solar aircraft as a complementary capability to LEO satellite communications rather than a direct rival, with the potential for providing continuous coverage in specific regions.

Solar aviation traces its roots to the early 1970s, when hobbyists and engineers began using solar cells to power model aircraft. The first manned flight came in 1980, when the Gossamer Penguin ...

Solar Airplane's Round-The-World Trip Is Halted Until 2016 : The Two-Way Battery problems on the Solar Impulse, the airplane that has been flying around the world using only the sun's power, ...

The Solar Impulse 2 takes off from Abu Dhabi on the first leg of an attempted 20,000-mile circumnavigation of the globe -- an unprecedented journey for a sun-powered craft.

Solar plane pilot: "They said it was not possible" 01:15. Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard aren't looking to revolutionize aviation with their solar-powered aircraft.

A solar-powered plane designed to fly both day and night has succeeded in its first attempt at a 24-hour voyage. Taking off from its base in Switzerland, the Solar Impulse HB-SIA soared into the ...

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — A solar-powered airplane landed in California on Saturday, completing a risky, three-day flight across the Pacific Ocean as part of its journey around the world. Pilot… ...

Based on glider/sailplane construction methods, the Sunseeker II is the only manned solar airplane flying in the world, and according to SolarFlight, it has logged more time in the air than all ...

These are exciting times for the solar aircraft industry. Airbus and Boeing have carried out high-profile launches, as have technology giants Facebook and Google – but not all still in the race.

Solar Plane V1 had a 9.5 ft / 2.9 m carbon fibre skeleton wing, covered with transparent film, with the fragile monocrystaline solar cells mounted inside the wing.