Solar Impulse 2 Departs Mandalay, Myanmar for China

Abu Dhabi, UAE, March 30, 2015 – Solar Impulse 2, the first aircraft to attempt a solar-powered round-the-world flight, departed from Mandalay, Myanmar for Chongqing, China on March 30 at 1:06 a.m. UAE time. Unfavorable weather conditions delayed the aircraft’s departure.

With initiator and Chairman Bertrand Piccard at the controls, the aircraft took off from Mandalay after 10 days of community engagement events under the team’s inflatable hangar.

The 20-hour flight to Chongqing from Mandalay will mark the completion of the fifth leg of Solar Impulse’s five-month 35,000 km mission. Solar impulse 2 will stay in China for a month. After an expected one-day pit stop in Chongqing, the team will proceed to Nanjing – the sixth leg of their historic journey.

China is a major supporter for clean energy, and has increased its investments in this sector to US$89.5 billion, a 23 per cent increase compared to the previous year. Moreover, China increased its 2015 solar target to 15 gigawatts (GW), including 7GW of off-grid capacity. As the economies of both the UAE and China grow, economic activity between the two countries is growing at more than 14 per cent annually.

Solar Impulse and its team are expected to stay in China for about a month where they will organise events and school visits in China, as it did in Abu Dhabi alongside official host partner Masdar, inspiring students to think creatively, innovate, and promote a more sustainable future.

While Solar Impulse is an ambitious scientific adventure, the visionary journey is also an airborne message to advance clean technology and environmental stewardship. Supported by Masdar and UAE Minister of State and Chairman of Masdar H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the #FutureIsClean initiative launched on www.FutureIsClean.org is designed to mobilize individuals, organizations, celebrities and politicians to demand concrete action ahead of the Conference on Climate Change of the United Nations (COP21), which will define the new Kyoto protocol in December 2015 in Paris. The prizes for the platform’s challenge are sponsored by Masdar.

The aircraft departed from Abu Dhabi on March 9 for Muscat, Oman and departed the following day. It arrived in Ahmedabad, India on March 10. Following a brief stop in Varanasi, India, Solar Impulse took off for Mandalay, Myanmar on March 19 with Bertrand Piccard in the cockpit.

Following its stop in Chongqing, Solar Impulse will continue its journey eastward, landing in Nanjing, China, prior to crossing the Pacific Ocean via Hawaii. Si2 will then fly across the continental United States, stopping in three locations, including Phoenix and New York City at JFK International Airport. A location in the Midwest will be decided dependent on weather conditions. After crossing the Atlantic, the journey’s final legs include a stop-over in Southern Europe or North Africa before arriving back in its host city, Abu Dhabi.