Bad weather forces Solar Impulse 2 to take a break in Japan
Solar Impulse 2 has had to take a short break from its round-the-world flight due to dangerous weather conditions.
The fully solar-powered plane is landing at Nagoya airport in Japan before making its way across the Pacific ocean. The pilot was just 36 hours into a journey expected to take six days when the emergency landing began.
On its website, the plane's team said: “Unfortunately the current weather window to reach Hawaii has closed. The cold front is too dangerous to cross, so we have decided to land in Nagoya Airfield, also known as Komaki Airport, and wait for better weather conditions in order to continue."
Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg tweeted the view from above just before landing.
Just before landing with @solarimpulse in nagoya japan pic.twitter.com/r993nJ5PUo
— André Borschberg (@andreborschberg) June 1, 2015
Once the sky above Japan has cleared, the plane will be able to take off again and begin the first ever attempt by a solar plane to cross the Pacific. This has always been expected to be the most difficult leg of the journey.
Solar Impulse 2 is powered by more than 17,000 solar cells, packed into wings that are longer than any found on a normal plane.
Where is the plane now? Track it via the Solar Impulse website