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Solar Impulse 2 set to circle the globe (pictures)

The second-generation solar plane has been redesigned and rebuilt with smarter, lighter, and more efficient materials. Now, the aircraft is ready tackle a flight of global proportions.

James Martin
James Martin is the Managing Editor of Photography at CNET. His photos capture technology's impact on society - from the widening wealth gap in San Francisco, to the European refugee crisis and Rwanda's efforts to improve health care. From the technology pioneers of Google and Facebook, photographing Apple's Steve Jobs and Tim Cook, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Google's Sundar Pichai, to the most groundbreaking launches at Apple and NASA, his is a dream job for any documentary photography and journalist with a love for technology. Exhibited widely, syndicated and reprinted thousands of times over the years, James follows the people and places behind the technology changing our world, bringing their stories and ideas to life.
James Martin
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Solar Impulse 2

Following the construction of a solar-powered plane which set records flying across the United States last year, the Swiss team behind Solar Impulse has now set a new, more worldly goal: launch a solar plane that can circle the globe.

Co-founders and pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschber unveiled the new 72-meter-wide plane, Solar Impulse 2, Wednesday at the Payerne Air Field in Switzerland. With a wingspan that is 8 meters longer than its predecessor, the Solar Impulse 2 is also lighter and faster than the original Solar Impulse plane.

Solar Impulse 2 is scheduled to start test flights in the spring, with a round-the-world flight planned between April and July 2015.

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An upgraded build

Borschber said the new airplane's updates include wider wingspan, lighter materials, more efficient engine, and an upgraded cabin.

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Cockpit testing

Here, the cockpit of the new Solar Impulse 2 goes through testing.

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72 meter wingspan

With a 72-meter wingspan, Solar Impulse 2 is just slightly wider than a Boeing 747.

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Wings under construction

The Solar Impulse 2 wings are seen here under construction last year. Borschber said the wings are made with a material that is one-third the weight of printer paper. The wings are fitted with about 17,000 solar cells that are 135 microns thick.

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Cockpit construction

The cockpit of Solar Impulse 2 is seen here under construction.

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Round the world

The team plans to take off from somewhere in the Persian Gulf region, and fly over the Arabian Sea, India, Burma, China, the Pacific Ocean, the United States, the Atlantic Ocean, and then southern Europe or North Africa, before returning to the starting point.

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Design and build for the future

"A vision counts for nothing unless it is backed up by action," said Piccard in a statement. "With 8 world records for Solar Impulse 1, the first solar aircraft capable of flying during the night, crossing two continents and flying over the United States, we have shown that clean technologies and renewable energies can accomplish the impossible."

Solar Impulse 2 is scheduled to start test flights in the spring, with a round-the-world flight planned between April and July 2015. Borschberg said the trip will take 20 days, spread out over several months.

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