Solar Impulse highlights

December 15 – SunPower Corp., a manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar modules and photovoltaic systems that is based in Silicon Valley, will be supplying solar cells for the Solar Impulse HB-SIB aircraft that is scheduled to fly around the world in 2014. The Californian company is thus an official supplier for the Solar Impulse project. more

June 29 – The grounds of the world’s largest air show in Le Bourget just outside of Paris were battered by gusts of wind almost all week long. While visitors thronged to watch the spectacular flight demonstrations showing the latest developments in the aviation industry, the undisputed star of the exhibition was initially forced to remain grounded: Because of the stormy weather Solar Impulse, the honorary guest of the air show, had to wait until Sunday to make its appearance. more

June 15 – Solar Impulse HB-SIA has landed in Paris-Le Bourget after a flight lasting 16 hours and 5 minutes. From June 20th to 26th the solar airplane will be an attraction and a “special guest” of the world’s largest aviation exhibition there. Among passenger aircraft and military jets, Solar Impulse will serve as a symbol of a future belonging to renewable energies. more

June 14 – In just a few hours, Solar Impulse will be taking off again. Its destination is Le Bourget Airport just outside of Paris. The solar airplane will be an attraction and a “special guest” of the largest aviation exhibition in the world. Among passenger aircraft and military jets, Solar Impulse will serve as a symbol of the future that belongs to renewable energies: It will reach its destination powered solely by the power of the sun, without any pollutant emissions whatsoever. more

June 09 – On May 13, more than one million people followed live and via Internet the first successful international flight of the Solar Impulse prototype HB-SIA with pilot André Borschberg from the Swiss region of Payerne to Brussels. The arrival of the solar plane marked the start of a week which saw the team involved with Solar Impulse meet with prominent representatives from the world of politics and economics in the European capital. more

June 01 – After its first successful international flight from Payerne in Switzerland to Brussels, experiencing Solar Impulse live outside of Switzerland was possible for the first time last week. In addition to numerous EU commissioners and representatives of European political institutions, Deutsche Bank’s local subsidiary and its EU representation took advantage of the occasion to offer clients and discussion partners a unique experience. more

May 13 – On Friday night at 21:39, the solar plane Solar Impulse HB-SIA landed successfully at Brussels airport after a twelve-hour-and-fifty-nine-minute flight. Bertrand Piccard’s and André Borschberg’s plane was met by an enthusiastic crowd that celebrated its arrival in the capital of Europe. As a main partner, Deutsche Bank congratulates the Solar Impulse team on reaching this milestone towards a sustainable future. more

May 13 – Solar Impulse has already proven that it is possible to fly powered solely by the sun. Now it’s that time again: You can accompany our solar airplane on its route from Payerne to Brussels. At the moment, André Borschberg, Bertrand Piccard and their team are making their final preparations for the flight to Brussels. more

April 21 – Solar Impulse has added a new dimension to the dream of flying: In the summer of 2010, André Borschberg, Bertrand Piccard and their team succeeded in circling through the skies over Switzerland for 26 hours – including all night long – in the HB-SIA aircraft, without using a single drop of fuel and without emitting any pollutants. more

March 29 – Schindler, a global manufacturer of energy efficient elevators and escalators, will be supporting the Solar Impulse project as its 4th main partner. This means the team of partners – also including Deutsche Bank, Solvay and Omega – has assembled just in time for the first international solar flights this summer. more

November 04 – Now it is official! Solar Impulse set three world records all at one time with the successful day-and-night flight of the HB-SIA last July. Last week the World Air Sports Federation FAI (Fédération Aéronautique International) confirmed them. more

September 23 – The next step towards a clean future was a success! Just a few months after its spectacular 26 hour flight, the solar plane Solar Impulse has now also proven itself in regular flight operations by taking-off and landing in Geneva and Zurich. more

September 21 – The first lap of the Solar Swiss Flights from the Solar Impulse base in Payerne to Geneva turned out as complete success. For the first time, the Prototype HB-SIA has touched down and taken off on a civilian airport with regular airline operations. more

September 20 – After the spectacular success of the Solar Impulse day and night flight, the pioneering project is now heading off to its “home game”: Solar Swiss Flights are in the house. These will be the first flights inside of Switzerland to public airports such as Geneva and Zurich. more

July 08 – This morning at 9 am and after a non-stop 26 hour flight, the unique solar plane Solar Impulse HB-SIA landed safely in Payerne, Switzerland. André Borschberg was obviously emotional when he got out of the cockpit. He could not describe his feelings yet. "I've been a pilot for 40 years now, but this flight has been the most incredible one of my flying career,” he exclaimed. more

July 07 – This morning, at 6:51 am (Swiss local time), the solar powered “Solar Impulse HB-SIA” airplane, backed by Deutsche Bank as a main partner, took off from the Swiss town Payerne to the first day and night-flight solely with the power of the sun. The plane, which is flown by André Borschberg, is expected to stay non-stop 25 hours in the air. more

July 06 – Solar Impulse is on the fast track again! The telemetry transmitter, a little box as small as a mobile phone which stopped Solar Impulse HB-SIA from its first night flight attempt last Thursday shortly before take-off, has now been replaced. In full steam the team has worked on solving this technical challenge and finally Solar Impulse HB-SIA is ready to face the day and night flight. more

July 01 – Everything was on track until this morning, until the first night flight of the Solar Impulse HB-SIA had to be postponed due to technical reasons. The problem came from the telemetry transmitter that broke down. This system enables the ground team to follow in real time the flight mission and to monitor thousands of crucial parameters. more

June 29 – The countdown has started. Finally, after technical challenges and unfavourable weather conditions during the last few days, the first night flight attempt is official! The unique solar plane HB-SIA seems to be well prepared for this important milestone and, moreover, the weather forecasters have announced an ideal window more

June 28 – Last week, HB-SIA carried out the longest and highest flight ever in solar aviation history. Test pilot Markus Scherdel flew the prototype HB-SIA for 14 hours and reached an altitude above Mount Everest: 9000 meters. However, this premiere did not go completely through without technical challenges. more

June 21 – In the Swiss town Payerne preparations are getting into top gear. The air is fraught with tension. The team around Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg are in gleeful anticipation for the first night flight with the prototype “HB-SIA”. In the upcoming days the prototype is supposed to stay as the first manned solar plane for 25 hours in the air – without interruption and solely powered by the sun. more

May 19 – If there is a windless, rain-free day over Payerne between the bad weather fronts, then the chances are good that there will be another Solar Impulse test flight. The Solar Impulse Prototype HB-SIA has completed a total of four successful flights since April: Each time even longer and higher than the last. more

April 07 – This morning, the Solar Impulse HB-SIA airplane, backed by Deutsche Bank, as a main partner, took off on its first flight. From Payerne airfield (Switzerland), Solar Impulse test pilot Markus Scherdel took the prototype airplane up to 1200 meters. He spent an hour and twenty-seven minutes ... more

February 19 – Following the successful completion of the vibration tests in Dübendorf in January, the last few weeks have been busy with moving Solar Impulse to the new 2,000 m² hangar in Payerne. The Swiss Air Force base near Lake Neuenburg will be the starting point for the first longer test flights ... more

December 15 – What do Albert II of Monaco, Al Gore and Paolo Coelho have in common? They are all supporters of the ground-breaking Solar Impulse project. Each of them is sponsoring a solar cell on the wing of the aircraft. And just like them, every passionate Solar Impulse fan can now become a part of this unique adventure! more

December 04 – Yesterday, powered by its own battery, the Solar Impulse prototype took off from the runway for the first time. It “flew” a metre above the ground for a distance of about 350 metres. A great moment for the two pioneers Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg and the Solar Impulse team ... more

November 06 – Weather conditions were ideal today, so the Solar Impulse prototype could leave the hangar for the first time and pass ground testing outside – under the supervision of Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier who is head of the test team. The Solar Impulse team towed the aircraft outside ... more

October 19 – 100 years after the early pioneers of flying Wilbur and Orville Wright ushered in the era of aviation Solar Impulse is set to turn the page in a totally new stage of aeronautical history. In just a few days the Solar Impulse prototype “HB-SIA” will be taking off for the first time... more

June 26 – The big day arrived, and Bertrand Piccard was visibly moved when he, together with André Borschberg and their team, raised the curtain for the first time on the prototype “Solar Impulse HB-SIA”. More than 800 invited guests – including CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of Deutsche Bank, Josef Ackermann, along with Prince Albert II of Monaco and the CEOs of Solvay and Omega – and thousands of ... more

May 15 – After several years in the making and many endurance, vibration, and wind tunnel tests, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg and the Solar Impulse team will be presenting the "Solar Impulse HB-SIA" prototype to the public for the first time on June 26, 2009. With a wingspan of 61 meters, yet weighing only 1,500 kg, the prototype will be as large as an Airbus A340, as heavy as ... more

February 16 – The future is being created in the middle of the desert of Abu Dhabi. Here, in the territory of one of the world's largest oil-producing nations, the first-ever CO²-neutral eco-city has been slowly rising out of the desert sand since February 2008. The two Solar Impulse initiators, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, returned "full of enthusiasm" from their visit to the MASDAR building site. more

February 02 – Submitted to extreme differences in temperature and heavy gales of up to 250km/h, the solar cells which are to be used on the first test flights of the Solar Impulse prototype in late summer 2009 have passed a challenging test in the high alpine research station “Mont-Soleil” on the Jungfraujoch at 3580 metres above sea level. more

December 05 – After 2 years of intense “construction works”, the most significant part of the Solar Impulse’s prototype has been delivered to the hangar last week: the main spar for the first airplane’s 61meter-wing. After a long journey of 200km departing from the Décision naval dockyards situated close to the Lake of Geneva the spars have safely arrived to Dübendorf in three huge 20m “box” beams.  more

October 15 – A lot has been happening over the summer months in the Solar Impulse hangar in Dübendorf near Zurich. The fuselage of the prototype has passed its first static load tests and has been certified airworthy, confirming the choice of technologies and construction design for the solar airplane which have until now never been used in the aviation industry. more

August 18 – It was a great moment for the two initiators of Solar Impulse, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, “landing” their project in China for the first time. “A country that cannot be ignored when one talks of technology and energy” Bertrand Piccard underlined on the occasion of the opening of an exhibition dedicated to Solar Impulse at the heart of the Olympic village in Beijing. more

June 26 – Welcome aboard - Bertrand Piccard, president and initiator of the groundbreaking Solar Impulse project, introduces readers to a new Solar Impulse newsletter, aimed at providing up-to-date information about construction of the pioneering solar aircraft. more

May 17 – Solar Impulse hangar, Dübendorf, Switzerland: This is the location where work is normally carried out on the construction of the solar airplane, prototype. However this week, practice flights of a special kind have been taking place from this site. As part of the Solar Impulse Virtual Flight 2008, an original replica of the prototype cockpit has been used for the very first time. more

April 09 – The goal of the Solar Impulse project is to reconcile mobility with environmental considerations. The venture was declared today at the European Parliament in Brussels as a symbol for its ambitious ecological achievements in the transportation sector. more

March 07 – “It’s not just about having great ideas – it’s far more important to implement them” – Bertrand Piccard’s vision which he is putting into action with Solar Impulse is at the cutting edge of technology: the first manned round-the-world flight in an airplane powered solely by solar energy. more

February 14 – “There is a common misconception that a trade-off exists between environmentally responsible investing and strong investment performance.” As Global Head of Deutsche Bank’s Asset Management Division, Kevin Parker is clear about the potential returns for alternative investments. more

January 25 – Bertrand Piccard is clear about the facts: considering the existing data on climate change it is high time for a radical rethink. more

January 09 – Bertrand Piccard, initiator and future pilot of Solar Impulse, spoke at the Climate Change Conference of the Deutsche Bank affiliate DWS in Zurich about “Climate change as a challenge and chance”. Piccard is developing –with the support of Deutsche Bank as one out of three Main Partners – an aircraft that is to fly around the world without spewing out pollutants. more

November 21 – The importance of opening up new horizons and questioning existing standards through innovation – this was the topic of Bertrand Piccard`s speech at the 6th Entrepreneur's Convention in Berlin. The courage to leave beaten tracks and to break new ground connects entrepreneurial spirit to the Solar Impulse project. more

November 05 – A big step forward. Solar Impulse is no longer just a vision, but is taking on concrete shape. The first components for the prototype are ready: the cockpit, solar cells and the aircraft engine. more