STRAITS TIME
RABAT (AFP) – A solar-powered aircraft left the Moroccan capital on Friday for Madrid on its return journey to its home port in Switzerland.
Piloted by Bertrand Piccard, the Solar Impulse, an experimental plane which flies without fuel, took off shortly after 6am (1pm Singapore time), heading towards Barajas airport in Madrid.
The hi-tech aircraft, which has the wingspan of a jumbo jet but weighs no more than a medium-sized car, is fitted with 12,000 solar cells feeding four electric motors driving propellers.
Strong winds had grounded the Swiss-made aircraft in Morocco on Tuesday, after it arrived in Rabat a week ago following a successful flight over the Moroccan desert.
