The solar-powered plane that last week made the world's first inter-continental flight by such an aircraft took off Wednesday on its toughest challenge yet - flying in Morocco's desert climate. Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg steered the Solar Impulse into the skies from Rabat airport at 0707 GMT and headed south toward the city of Ouarzazate where he is expected to land around 2300 GMT if all goes well.
"This flight will certainly be the most difficult the plane has ever undertaken due to the hot and dry nature of the climate as well as the proximity of the massive Atlas mountains," towering up to more than 3,000 metres (9,800 feet), said a statement released by organisers on Tuesday. "It is potentially extremely dangerous," said Borschberg. "I know it is not going to be easy but I have the deep feeling that we know enough" to make a successful landing in the desert.
The high-tech aircraft, which has the wingspan of a large airliner but weighs no more than a medium-sized car, is fitted with 12,000 solar cells feeding four electric motors and flies without using a drop of fuel. Last week it flew into history books as it completed the world's first inter-continental flight by a solar plane, flying from Spain to Morocco, a feat that capped a string of other firsts, including the first manned plane to fly around the clock on the Sun's energy in July 2010.
It also holds the record for the longest flight by a manned solar-powered plane after staying aloft for 26 hours, 10 minutes and 19 seconds above Switzerland, and has also set a record for altitude by flying at 9,235 metres (30,298 feet). Flying above the Moroccan sand dunes - the backdrop to the 1962 British cinema epic "Lawrence of Arabia" - poses particular challenges such as thermal currents, strong winds and thunderstorms.
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