The solar-powered plane named the ‘Solar Impulse’ embarked on its maiden voyage in the United States on Friday morning from Moffet Field, near San Francisco and has successfully landed in Phoenix, Arizona. This was the first leg of the plane’s journey across the United States using energy produced by the sun. The plane has 12,000 solar cells which recharge four large batteries capable of storing energy for night time flight.

The first-leg flight took 18 hours and 18 minutes. The Solar impulse has the same wing span as an Airbus A340, and only weighs 1,6 tons.

As the plane is only capable of seating one pilot, co-founders, Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg will take turns flying the plane across the United States. It is expected to take the pair and the plane two months to complete the journey.

The plane was designed as part of a bigger plan for the team to develop a plane that is capable of circumnavigating the globe in 2015.

[Source: BBC News, Reuters, YouTube, YouTube]