About the aircraft

Solar Impulse 2 landed in Chongqing on March 31 after a 19-hour flight from Mandalay in Myanmar. The Swiss-developed plane is due to fly on to Nanjing and then cross the Pacific Ocean to the United States.

The entire journey back to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where the circum-navigation attempt began on March 9, is expected to take five months. Two pilots, Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, will take turns at the controls for 35,000 kilometers over 12 legs, including a crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

Solar Impulse is the first solar-powered aircraft capable of flying day and night. It is made of carbon fiber, and 17,248 solar cells built into its wings supply renewable energy.