Solar plane takes off in Switzerland

Agence France-Press reports on the historical solar plane flight that took off this morning in Switzerland.

Star Impulse (picture right) set off to fly on a 25 hour trip from Payerne, Switzerland. The ground crew will see if it can take in enough electrical charge during daylight hours to continue overnight.

The round-the-clock flight by the prototype built last year is the first major hurdle for the project since it started seven years ago, with the aim of flying around the world by 2013 or 2014.

The speed is only 22 miles per hour with a single pilot. This is much slower than a small aircraft like a Cessna that reaches over 100 mph.

Read the full story: Solar plane sets out on historic flight

Photo from France 24