Solar plane Solar Impulse forced to land in Japan due to bad weather

The solar plane the Solar Impulse that departed from China on Saturday for Hawaii, 8000 kilometers away, had to cancel its flight after 36 hours due to bad weather. The plane has returned and landed in Japan.

The Solar Impulse took off from Nanjing, China, on Saturday. The goal was to fly to Hawaii in one go, more than 8,000 kilometers away. The flight was expected to take about 120 hours. The team is now better waiting in Japan, writes the BBC.

Flight controller Bertrand Piccard tells British broadcaster from the command center in Monaco that they are not ‘daredevils’, but ‘explorers’. “Safety comes first and everyone is happy with the plane, but the weather is throwing a spanner in the works,” Piccard said.

The solar plane lands in Nagoya, Japan, where better weather conditions are awaited. The team had already had to wait a month in China for good weather conditions to start this seventh and longest stage. The aircraft needs a cloudless sky during the day to always charge enough for the night.

Before deciding that the plane would return to the country, the team members looked to find a route through the deteriorating weather to Hawaii. Postponement is problematic, as the August hurricane season can frustrate the trek. After the flight to Hawaii, four more stages follow. The journey started in Abu Dhabi.