Bertrand Piccard, who piloted the first balloon to circumnavigate the earth, had a new dream in 2003: continuous solar-powered flight. On the morning of July 8, 2010, Piccard was one step closer. His plane, the Solar Impulse, an HB-SIA prototype, had flown for more than 26 hours on batteries charged by the sun.
In April 2010, the HB-SIA went on its first extended test flight, flying for 87 minutes and reaching an altitude of 3,937 feet.
The project has not been without hiccups: the prototype's first night flight was postponed due to a defective telemetry receiver. Above, the plane sits in the firm's hanger in Payerne, Switzerland, on July 1, 2010
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