alled the HB-SIA, the prototype aircraft consists of wing covered
with solar cells with a span of 200 feet. Despite that huge wing span,
the craft will employ lightweight materials to tip the scales at only
3,300 pounds. That combination will allow the plane to fly at just
28 miles per hour, a speed that will keep energy consumption low,
allowing the solar panels to not only power the craft during the day,
but to also store up enough energy to keep it flying at night.
Construction of the HB-SIA began in June and is expected to be
complete by the summer of 2008.