The Solar Impulse 2 solar powered airplane is grounded in Nagoya, Japan because the weather conditions on the Pacific Ocean are worse than expected.  It’s the latest delay for the round-the-world journey that will use absolutely no convention fuels.

“I trust they took a good decision.  We discussed it on the radio.  Despite the fact it's very hard it’s the right way to go,” said co-pilot Andre Borschberg.  He was all suited up and in the cockpit when the flight crew determined the weather was too rough for the fragile, lightweight airplane – the propellers of which are powered by more than 17,000 of solar cells covering its wings.

The Solar Impulse 2 took off from Abu Dhabi on 9 March and made its way east in short legs, until it got to Nanjing, China on 1 June.  That was supposed to have begun the longest leg of the voyage, going all the way through to Hawaii.  But weather conditions weren’t with the team, and the aircraft set down in Nagoya. 

But another setback occurred when plane was slightly damaged when its cover was tousled by the wind before it could be moved into its mobile hangar.  That damage has been repaired and the Solar Impulse has been ready to go for days.  It’s just that the Pacific Ocean isn’t cooperating.

Borschberg and project co-founder Bertrand Piccard take turns flying the single-occupant aircraft for each leg of the journey.