In 2010, the solar plane flew non-stop for 26 hours to demonstrate that the aircraft could soak up enough sunlight to keep it airborne through the night.
But for a solar eternal plane to be exactly that it needs an efficient energy harvesting, conversion and storage system that will work when the Sun has set.
BBC: NEWS | Science/Nature | 'Eternal planes' to watch over us
And last year, defence firm Qinetiq flew a solar-powered plane for 54 hours, smashing the official world record for the longest-duration unmanned flight.
The single-person aircraft came from Switzerland and has made history as a solar-powered plane that could fly overnight, thanks to batteries that are charged up during the day.
FORBES: Video: Solar-Powered Plane Takes Off For A U.S. Maiden Voyage
The plane, Solar Impulse, is expected to be ready to leave from the San Francisco Bay Area on May 1, although the actual departure will depend on the weather, the plane's Swiss creators said at a news conference at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif.
We've been tracking the sun-powered plane known as Solar Impulse for years as it roved hither and yon.
However, in 2010, Swiss balloonist Bertrand Piccard plans to launch Solar Impulse, a manned plane in which he will attempt to circumnavigate the globe.
Considered the world's most advanced sun-powered plane, the Solar Impulse took off from Moffett Field in Mountain View at first light for a two-hour practice run in advance of a planned multi-city, cross-country tour.
Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, Solar Impulse co-founder and chairman, said the plane should be ready for the cross-country journey on May 1, depending on the weather.
He then produced with DuPont the first plane powered entirely by the sun, the Solar Challenger, which in 1981 flew the 163 miles from Paris to Canterbury at a height of 11, 000 feet.
Solar Impulse, which is also the name of the company, is working on a second plane that the two founders plane to fly around the world in 2015.
FORBES: Video: Solar-Powered Plane Takes Off For A U.S. Maiden Voyage
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