Solar Impulse has chalked up another 1,000 miles in its bid to circumnavigate the globe. The all-electric solar-powered airplane successfully flew from Phoenix to Tulsa, landing in the dead of night.
The flight took just over 18 hours, with the airplane—under the control of Bertrand Piccard—managing to hit an average speed of just 54 mph. The airplane uses 17,000 solar panels on its wings to charge 2,077 pounds of lithium battery, so there’s a lot of weight to carry, hence the slow speeds.
Now the rest of the journey remains: On to New York, Europe or North Africa, and then finally Abu Dhabi, where the attempt started. There’s a little way to go yet.
