Solar Impulse 2 Takes Off From Varanasi For Myanmar

19 March, Varanadi

Sun powered aircraft ‘Solar Impulse 2’ on Thursday took off from the holy city of Varanasi for Mandalay in Myanmar.

The aircraft, which began its journey on March 9 from Abu Dhabi, was delayed in Ahmedabad by about two hours from its scheduled departure Wednesday..

The aircraft is as heavy as a family car at 2,300 kilograms, but has a wingspan as wide as the largest airliner. The design and construction of the Solar Impulse took 12 years.

A first version of the craft rolled out in 2009 and broke records for height and distance travelled by a manned solar plane.