MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The flight was scheduled on last week but delayed because Piccard was ill.
"Just took off from #Cairo to achieve the 1st round-the-world solar flight. A dream I have since 1999," Piccard wrote on his Twitter page.
Just took off from #Cairo to achieve the 1st round-the-world solar flight. A dream I have since 1999 #futureisclean pic.twitter.com/6jyjqarfe2
— Bertrand PICCARD (@bertrandpiccard) July 24, 2016
Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard are the founders of the Solar Impulse project and both are taking turns piloting the single-seater SI-2 during the round-the-world flight, which started in March with the plane’s departure from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
SI-2 can reach a maximum speed of 140 kilometers (87 miles) per hour. Its wingspan is 72 meters (236 feet) and the weight is only 2,300 kilograms, or 5,070 pounds, equivalent to that of a car. The plane is powered by sun energy collected by over 17,200 solar cells covering its wings, fuselage and tailplane.
