Bertrand Piccard’s experimental solar-powered aircraft has landed safely in Switzerland after successfully flying through the night.
The feat is a step toward the makers' aim of circling the globe using the power of the Sun to fuel the plane. The aircraft used super-efficient solar cells and batteries to stay in the air after the Sun's rays had faded.
During the flight it reached a height of 8,700 m (28,543 ft). Assistants rushed to stabilise the experimental aircraft as it touched down, ensuring that its huge 63m (207ft) wingspan did not scrape the ground and topple the plane. It is the longest and highest flight recorded by a solar-powered plane. The plane has 12,000 solar cells arranged on its wingspan which collected enough energy to power the plane for the flight.
The Solar Impulse team led by Bertrand Piccard, say that this proves that a plane can be kept in the air around the clock. "It's the first time ever that a [manned] solar airplane has flown through the night," Bertrand told journalists. "That was the moment that proved the mission was successful, we made it." The team aim to circumnavigate the globe by 2013.