The solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse 2 made a record-breaking trip from Nagoya, Japan to Hawaii last July 2, but during this flight, the plane suffered from severe damages and is now grounded in Hawaii for repairs. According to the Solar Impulse team's official blog, they will remain grounded until early 2016.
The plane started its journey to go around the world back in March in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The original plan was to keep going until the plane would make it back to Abu Dhabi, stopping only for maintenance and for the pilot, Andre Borschberg, to get some rest. The Solar Impulse 2 stopped at Oman, Myanmar, and China.
This plan was halted when difficulties occurred during takeoff and ascent from Japan.
"During the first ascent on day one of the flight from Nagoya to Hawaii, the battery temperature increased due to a high climb rate and an over insulation of the gondolas," explains the Swiss team on their blog.
Because the over-insulation occurred during takeoff, the batteries could not be cooled down until the plane landed in Hawaii.
According to a report from Gizmodo, the problem was not a flaw on the technology itself but on their engineering design, stating that they did not anticipate and prepare for temperature during quick ascent in a tropical region such as Nagoya, Japan.
For now the plane will remain in Hawaii in a hangar at the Kalealoa airport owned by the University of Hawaii. Repairs are already undergoing and the around-the-world trip will resume sometime in early April. It will fly over to the West Coast of the United States before it crosses the Atlantic Ocean and head back to Abu Dhabi.
During its flight from Japan to Hawaii, the Solar Impulse 2 did achieve one major achievement despite the damages — it broke the record for the longest non-stop solo flight totalling 117 hours and 52 minutes.
