Excitement and apprehension ran high when Solar Impulse 2 took-off from Nanjing, China bound for Kalaeloa, Hawaii over the weekend but just 36 hours into the planned 8,200 km journey, the voyage was aborted. The culprit? Poor weather conditions.
This record-breaking Pacific crossing was cut short when the plane unexpectedly landed in Nagoya, Japan.
"We are not daredevils, we are explorers," said Bertrand Piccard, the plane's co-pilot who was observing the flight's progress from Monaco according to the BBC .
"We have to put safety at the top of all of our priorities. Everyone is very happy with the plane - but the weather does not fit. We land in Nagoya and we wait for better conditions to continue."
The seventh leg of the plane's epic voyage has already faced several delays. Previously, it was expected to launch in early May but was delayed due to weather conditions. The Pacific journey was expected to take approximately 120 hours (5 days) but that was increased to six or seven days due to the conditions when the plane finally took-off over the weekend.
Manned by only one pilot at a time, Solar Impulse 2's pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg have been alternating segments of the epic trip. The two Swiss natives are also the founders of Solar Impulse.
This particular voyage would have been the longest and most difficult flight to date for the pilot and the aircraft. As the only person piloting the aircraft, Borshberg was planning to take short 20 minute power-naps throughout the multi-day journey to conserve his energy.
Borshberg also planned to use yoga and self-hypnosis, which he said would help him get the maximum rest possible during his short naps. However, sleep deprivation isn't the only challenge, as temperatures would vary between the extremes of 30°C and -20°C. Special food has been developed to withstand the conditions while providing the pilot with vital nutrients to remain alert during the flight.
The aircraft took-off on its incredible voyage from Abu Dhabi on March 9, flying to Muscat. Since then, the plane has traveled onward to Ahmedabad, India; to Varanasi, India; to Mandalay, Burma; to Chongqing, China; to Nanjing, China and now to Nagoya, Japan.
For the time being the aircraft, which is powered by over 17,000 solar cells, will remain grounded in Japan with a statement on the Solar Impulse website stating, "Whilst we wait for the forecasts, we have decided to hold the position of the aircraft. We have asked André to stay where he is: it’s fine, the weather is good and the batteries are charging. During this time we will analyze where he will have to go to find a possibility to cross that front."