Solar Impulse

Solar Impulse is the name of a carbon-fibre plane of the size of an Airbus A340 but only weighs as much as an average family car.

It is special because it is a solar powered plane, which recently landed in Morocco after flying from Spain, completing the first intercontinental flight powered by Sun. The plane was powered by 12,000 solar cells turning four electrical motors. The project was launched by Bertrand Piccard in 2003. Swiss pilot Andre Boschberg flew the first leg of the journey from Switzerland to Madrid in late May 2012. The aircraft made history in July 2010 when it became the first manned solar plane to complete a 26-hour non-stop flight.