During its unscheduled landing in Nagoya, Japan, Solar Impulse 2 was damaged and will require at least a week to repair.
In a video posted on the official Solar Impulse YouTube channel, co-pilot Bertrand Piccard explained the damage to one of the wings of the aircraft, stressing that it was "not a big issue" and just a "little additional delay."
Originally the solar-powered airplane planned to fly all the way from Nanjing, China, to Kalaeloa, Hawaii. Unfortunately, due to poor weather conditions the aircraft was forced to make the emergency stop in Japan after flying for 44 hours and 10 minutes. The full voyage was anticipated to take five or six days.
The aircraft took off on its incredible round-the-world voyage from Abu Dhabi on March 9, flying to Muscat. Since then, the plane has traveled to Ahmedabad, India; Varanasi, India; Mandalay, Burma; Chongqing, China; Nanjing, China and now Nagoya, Japan.
Manned by only one pilot at a time, Solar Impulse 2 has been flown by Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg on alternating segments of the epic trip. The two Swiss natives are also the founders of Solar Impulse.
This particular segment was still the longest and most difficult flight to date for the pilot and the aircraft. As the only person piloting the plane, Borshberg took short 20-minute power-naps throughout the multi-day journey to conserve his energy.
For the time being, the aircraft, which is powered by over 17,000 solar cells, will remain grounded in Japan as it undergoes repairs. After the repairs are complete, the team will wait for the best weather conditions to continue.