The Solar Impulse team has decided to throw in the towel for this year, grounding the Si2 until the spring of 2016. As we reported earlier this week, the batteries of the all-solar-powered airplane overheated during the non-stop, nearly 118-hour flight over the Pacific Ocean, causing irreversible damage that prevented the si2 from continuing its round-the-world flight attempt.
While the team initially said it would take a few weeks to get the airplane back up and running, it decided the best course of action would be to delay the remaining legs of the trip until sometime in April. In addition to the battery issues the days are getting shorter and there won’t be as much sunlight for the airplane to collect once the battery issue could be fixed.
We look forward to continuing to track this pioneering project next year.
Watch the Solar Impulse take off for the start of its trip back in March.
Get exclusive online content like this delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for our free enewsletter.
