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The historic Solar Impulse 2 aircraft, the world’s first fully solar-powered plane to circumnavigate Earth, has crashed into the Gulf of Mexico during an autonomous test flight, bringing an abrupt end to one of aviation’s most ambitious experimental projects.
The aircraft reportedly went down on May 4 after losing power while operating under autonomous flight conditions as part of testing conducted by aerospace company Skydweller Aero. No injuries or fatalities were reported in the incident, which was documented in a National Transportation Safety Board report.
Originally conceived in 2003 by Swiss explorer and psychiatrist Bertrand Piccard, Solar Impulse was never intended to become a commercial aircraft. Instead, the project aimed to demonstrate the potential of clean energy technologies by creating the first solar-powered airplane capable of flying around the world.
Solar Impulse 2 became an engineering landmark when it completed its global circumnavigation in 2016 over the course of 16.5 months. The aircraft made 17 stops worldwide while alternating between Piccard and co-founder André Borschberg as pilots.
The plane itself was highly unconventional. Despite having a 232-foot wingspan wider than a Boeing 747, its carbon-fiber construction kept its weight to roughly 5,100 pounds, comparable to a large SUV. More than 17,000 solar cells powered four electric motors and onboard lithium-ion batteries, allowing the aircraft to remain airborne for extended periods at altitudes reaching 39,000 feet.
In 2019, the Solar Impulse Foundation sold the aircraft to Skydweller Aero, which sought to transform the technology into a long-endurance autonomous surveillance platform. The company envisioned fleets of solar-powered drones capable of remaining airborne for extended periods while supporting military and commercial monitoring operations at lower costs than satellites.
Following extensive modifications, the aircraft completed its first autonomous flight in Spain in 2023 and later conducted fully uncrewed operations in the United States. The latest crash, however, raises fresh questions about the reliability and scalability of ultra-long-duration solar aviation systems, particularly in autonomous configurations.
Even so, Solar Impulse 2 remains one of the most influential experimental aircraft of the modern era. The project demonstrated that electric aviation powered entirely by renewable energy was technically possible long before sustainable aviation became a mainstream industry priority.
“We are saddened by the loss of an important technological flagship,” Piccard and Borschberg said in a statement following news of the crash.