World

This Solar-Powered Plane FINALLY Made It Around The World

Solar Impulse's voyage started in March 2015, and just over a year later, the plane landed back where it first took off in Abu Dhabi.

This Solar-Powered Plane FINALLY Made It Around The World
Christophe Chammartin / SI2 via Getty Images
SMS

The solar plane trying to fly around the world finally made it.

"If this works, of course, everybody can do it on the ground to make a cleaner world," one of the pilots said in a Solar Impulse video.

Solar Impulse's voyage started in March 2015, and just over a year later, the plane landed back where it first took off in Abu Dhabi. 

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The record-setting flight is a big win for solar energy, but there have been some challenges along the way. Last summer, the trip was stalled in Hawaii after the plane's batteries overheated.

And in this last leg of the trip, there were concerns about how extreme heat in the Middle East could affect the plane.

Before the landing, Solar Impulse's final pilot said in a statement, "I'm excited to come so close to the goal, but unfortunately there are still so many people we have to motivate before having a world running on the same clean technologies."

This video includes clips from Solar Impulse. Music provided courtesy of APM Music.