A light aircraft known as Solar Impulse has become the first solar-powered aircraft to fly through the night and for longer than 24 hours, running only on solar energy.
The first prototype of the solar airplane reached an altitude of 8,700m before its night flight, when it was propelled using solar energy saved by batteries during the day through its 11,628 solar panels.
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Solar Impulse has a 63.4m wingspan and weighs about 1,600kg, with the solar cells fitted to the upper wing surface.
In the next phase, a second, lighter prototype of the plane will try to cover a 36-hour non-stop flight.
The Solar Impulse project aims to fly the first solar-powered plane around the world without conventional fuel by 2013.
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By GlobalData
