Technology Touches Sky

Fly round the world powered just by the sun.

German test pilot Markus Scherdel steers the solar-powered Solar Impulse 2 aircraft for it's maiden flight at it's base in Payerne, Switzerland.

That's the dream of Solar Impulse 2. A solar-powered plane that took its inaugural flight this week. The plane took off from Payerne in Switzerland and safely returned two hours later. With a wingspan of about 72m, which is larger than a Boeing 747 jet, it weights just 2.3 tonnes with four fully electric motors powered by solar panels across the wings. More testing on this aircraft is required, but Solar Impulse 2 will touch the sky officially in just sunlight in the year 2015.