The sustainable aircraft's final test flight in the emirate prior departure

Abu Dhabi - March 2, 2015: Bertrand Piccard, initiator and chairman of Solar Impulse, today, took to the skies of Abu Dhabi for the first time to test Solar Impulse 2, the first solar-powered aircraft able to fly day and night. Piccard's co-founder and co-pilot Andre´ Borschberg conducted the revolutionary aircraft's first test flight in the emirate last week soaring over the capital's iconic landmarks. 

Upon take-off, Piccard dedicated his flight to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Piccard remarked, "I dedicate my first flight here in Abu Dhabi with Solar Impulse to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Commander of the UAE Armed Forces who has supported our project since the first time I met him 10 years ago. We extend our deepest and esteemed gratitude and respects to His Highness Sheikh Mohamed and to Masdar for their support in realizing this historic flight".

Piccard's flight today was the last test flight ahead of Solar Impulse's attempt to circumnavigate the world without a drop of fuel.  In the coming months, Piccard and Borschberg will take turns in the single-seater cockpit, sharing Solar Impulse's and Masdar's collective vision of a more sustainable future driven by innovation.

Solar Impulse has been hosted by Masdar and Abu Dhabi since January for preparations, community engagement, and test flights ahead of its 5-month round-the-world solar-powered flight attempt. Throughout the duration of their stay in the capital, Solar Impulse and Masdar inspired thousands of youth, university students, and industry professionals spanning the United Arab Emirates.

Si2 will take-off from Abu Dhabi in the coming week and return by late July or early August 2015. The route includes stops in Muscat, Oman; Ahmedabad and Varanasi, India; Mandalay, Myanmar; and Chongqing and Nanjing, China. After crossing the Pacific Ocean via Hawaii, Si2 will fly across the Continental U.S.A. stopping in three locations - Phoenix, and New York City at JFK. A location in the Midwest will be decided dependent on weather conditions. After crossing the Atlantic, the final legs include a stop-over in Southern Europe or North Africa before arriving back in Abu Dhabi.

The public can follow the adventure on a daily basis on www.solarimpulse.com, the primary web platform of the First Round-The-World Solar Flight.

Regular updates will be available on the following social media channels:

google.com/+solarimpulse, www.facebook.com/solarimpulse, www.twitter.com/solarimpulse 

Latest videos are available on www.youtube.com/SolarImpulseChannel.

Tagging @solarimpulse, using #solarimpulse, #RTW or linking to www.solarimpulse.com in any publication will allow Solar Impulse to push any content.

Information on Bertrand Piccard, the Chairman, Co-founder, and pilot is available on the following online platforms: www.bertrandpiccard.com, www.facebook.com/bertrandpiccard ,  www.twitter.com/bertrandpiccard.

Information on André Borschberg, the CEO, Co-founder, and pilot is available on the following online platforms: www.andreborschberg.com, www.facebook.com/andreborschberg, www.twitter.com/andreborschberg.

Solar Impulse                                                                           

You can download information, photographs and B-roll footage of Solar Impulse in the press section of the Solar Impulse website: press.solarimpulse.com
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Media Relations
Claudia Durgnat
M. +41 79 229 81 28
E. claudia.durgnat@solarimpulse.com

Masdar
E-mail: press@masdar.ae
Tel enquiries in Arabic: +971 2 653 3333
Tel enquiries in English: +971 2 653 6014

About Solar Impulse
Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard (President) and André Borschberg (CEO) are the founders, pilots and life force behind Solar Impulse, the first aircraft able to fly day and night without fuel or polluting emissions - the aircraft with which they will attempt the first solar flight around the world this year. Supported by partners Solvay, Omega, Schindler, ABB, Google, Altran, Bayer Material Science, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions and Swisscom amongst others, Solar Impulse is a history making attempt in the world of exploration and the world of renewable energy. Solar Impulse is also an airborne laboratory, making way for innovative technological solutions capable of meeting today's challenges head on. And it is a vision which drives each one of us to become a pioneer on a day-to-day basis.

With 8 world records for the original Solar Impulse prototype, the first solar-powered aircraft to carry out a nighttime flight, the team have constructed a new single-seater aircraft made of carbon fiber. It has a 72 meter wingspan (larger than that of the Boeing 747) for a weight of just 2,300 Kg, equivalent to that of a car. The 17,248 solar cells built into the wing supply four electric motors (17.5 CV each) with renewable energy. During the day, the solar cells recharge lithium batteries weighing 633 Kg which allow the aircraft to fly at night and therefore to have virtually unlimited autonomy.

For more information on Solar Impulse, go to: www.solarimpulse.com and connect on: facebook.com/solarimpulse​, twitter.com/solarimpulse and google.com/+solarimpulse​ 

About Masdar
Masdar is Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company which works to advance the development, commercialization and deployment of clean energy technologies and solutions. The company serves as a link between today's fossil fuel economy and the energy economy of the future. Wholly owned by the Mubadala Development Company PJSC, the strategic investment company of the Government of Abu Dhabi, Masdar is dedicated to the Emirates' long-term vision for the future of energy and water.

For more information please visit: http://www.masdar.ae and connect: facebook.com/masdar.ae twitter.com/masdar

© Press Release 2015