The first solar plane aimed at reaching the stratosphere made an initial low-altitude test flight over Switzerland Friday. Pilot Damian Hischier took the craft for a seven-minute test flight, reaching an altitude of 300 metres (nearly 1,000 feet), it said. "The group will now study the test flight results before scheduling a longer flight at higher altitude," the statement added. Swiss adventurer Raphael Domjan, who is behind the project, aims to take the plane on its first stratospheric flight next year. The project comes after two of Domjan's compatriots, Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, completed the first-ever round-the-globe trip in a solar plane last July, in a bid to showcase the possibilities for the future of renewable energy.

Source: Egypt Independent May 05, 2017 11:26 UTC