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Solar-powered Plane Lands in Spain


Solar Impulse 2, the solar powered airplane, piloted by Swiss pioneer Bertrand Piccard prepares to land in Seville, Spain, after finishing a 70 hours flight over the Atlantic ocean, June 23, 2016.
Solar Impulse 2, the solar powered airplane, piloted by Swiss pioneer Bertrand Piccard prepares to land in Seville, Spain, after finishing a 70 hours flight over the Atlantic ocean, June 23, 2016.

An airplane powered entirely by the sun landed in Seville, Spain early Thursday after a 71-hour journey across the Atlantic from New York.

The one-seat Solar Impulse 2 took off from New York's John F. Kennedy Airport early Monday morning on the 15th leg of its journey around the world.

The solar-powered plane was piloted on this leg of its around-the-world journey by Swiss aviator Bertrand Piccard, cruising at an average speed of 70 kilometers an hour.

The carbon fiber Solar Impulse 2 has a 72-meter wingspan, which is longer than the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and weighs about as much as an automobile. The 17,000 solar cells built into the wings harness the sun's energy and charge onboard batteries.

Piccard's compatriot and business partner Andre Borschberg will pilot the final leg of the trip from Seville to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates where the trip began in March of 2015.

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