Solar Impulse will be deployed for its ‘Across America’ mission on a coast-to-coast flight from San Francisco to Washington D.C. and New York City, including 3-4 stopovers on the way.

With Payerne airfield’s short runway and lack of parking area for large freighter aircraft, operating a Boeing 747 freighter was a particular challenge. Cargolux mastered the operation safely, carrying a limited amount of fuel to reduce landing and take-off weight, and having to park the aircraft on the runway during the loading process. After only 5 hours 15 minutes, the Cargolux flight lifted off from Payerne early Thursday morning and returned to Luxembourg for a refueling stop, before flying its precious cargo to the NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Airfield in the United States, from where Solar Impulse will start its mission.

Solar Impulse is the world’s most ambitious solar-powered aircraft project not designed to carry people, but to carry messages and promoting technological innovation and renewable energy. It has already achieved five world records, including the record for the longest day and night solar-powered flight at 26 hours, 10 minutes and 19 seconds. With 63.4 meters, the aircraft has a similar wingspan to Cargolux’s Boeing 747, and its loading onto the freighter aircraft was only possible thanks to the characteristic nose cargo door of the Boeing 747.

As a pioneer in the airfreight industry, Cargolux is proud to be involved in the Solar Impulse project. Both companies share a similar spirit and values and constantly seek to push boundaries with innovative solutions. Solar Impulse has demonstrated that a solar-powered airplane can fly day and night without fuel. Its aim is to prove that progress is possible using clean forms of energy. Cargolux has always felt a strong responsibility towards the environment, striving to keep the impact of its operation as low as possible and, consequently, is eager to support a research project in favor of the environment. The company has invested in the most advanced and environmentally-friendly freighter aircraft in its class twice, the 747-400F in 1993 and the 747-8F in 2011. Both aircraft showed marked improvements in fuel consumption, noise and CO2 emissions over its respective predecessors. Cargolux has studied operational measures to lessen the noise emission of its aircraft during take-off and landing. As a founding member of SAFUG (Sustainable Aviation Fuel User Group), the airline has supported the development of bio-fuels and, in this context, Cargolux also monitors with interest the development of solar-powered flight, excited to play its small part in the Solar Impulse project.

Solar Impulse is currently building a second-generation aircraft meant to fly around the world in 2015. For more information on the current and future ventures, please check www.solarimpulse.com, www.cargolux.com