Swiss pilot announces hydrogen-powered round-the-world tour
Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg completed the first-ever round-the-world solar flight in 2016 with Solar Impulse.
Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott
Solar pioneer Bertrand Piccard wants to do it again. After flying around the world in a solar-powered aircraft (Solar Impulse) seven years ago, the Swiss pilot now plans to circumnavigate the world in 2028. This time he wants to fly a hydrogen-powered aircraft, with the ambitious goal of completing the journey in just nine days.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Português
pt
Piloto suíço anuncia volta ao mundo em nove dias movido a hidrogênio
His new “Climate Impulse” project is not just about a thirst for adventure, he told the Swiss media group Tamedia in an interview on Wednesday. “I’m fed up with all the pessimism and inaction regarding environmental protection. I want to show to all those who see no future that there is hope and that we can take action. The best way to do this is with a spectacular project.”
More
More
Swiss solar plane ends round-the-world tour
This content was published on
Solar Impulse 2 completes its record-breaking, round-the-world tour. Here are the facts on this high-flying project.
Piccard pointed out that there is still great resistance and reluctance toward future-oriented technologies. “I want to debunk this misconception. I want to show that we now have everything in our hands to transition away from fossil fuels.”
He added that environmental protection will only become a reality when it is perceived as economically viable and exciting. “Despite the existence of solutions, they are not being utilised to their full potential,” he said.
More
More
Swiss start-up Destinus enters hypersonic flight race, powered by hydrogen
This content was published on
A Swiss start-up wants to introduce hypersonic travel using clean hydrogen. Can reality match their ambitions?
Work on the new project has been going on for three years. “It costs around CHF45 million ($51.6 million) to build the aircraft and CHF15 million to operate it,” said Piccard.
He will turn 70 years in 2028. He told the paper that his wife believes he will then be too old to inspire young people. But he replied: “Yes, but I will be old enough to give hope to the elderly.”
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
This content was published on
The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), Swissinfo's parent company, must restructure due to financial pressures and to stay competitive in the fast-moving media environment.
This content was published on
There has been a sharp decline in the consumption of single-use disposable plastic bags and reusable plastic bags in the Swiss retail sector.
This content was published on
A biometric Swiss identity card (ID) is expected to be available in Switzerland by the end of 2026. The Federal Office of Police and its federal and cantonal partners are working on a new ID card that features a chip.
Heatwave reduces output at Swiss nuclear power plant by 50%
This content was published on
The ongoing heatwave has forced the Beznau nuclear power plant, which relies on water from the River Aare, to halve its output.
Swiss continue to enjoy high social mobility, study shows
This content was published on
Opportunities for upward social mobility have remained intact in Switzerland since the 1980s. Social mobility is exceptionally high by international comparison, a study shows.
Swiss government affected by cyberattack on health foundation
This content was published on
Switzerland says a ransomware attack on the non-profit health foundation Radix that involved data being stolen and encrypted had also affected the federal administration.
Federal Council agrees to investigation into alleged Swiss-Russian spying affair
This content was published on
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland can open spying investigations into the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service (FIS).
Appeal launched against Starlink satellite antennae project planned in Swiss village
This content was published on
A group of Swiss citizens has filed an appeal against plans to install 40 Starlink satellite antennae in the mountain village of Leuk in southern Switzerland.
UBS launches buyback scheme for up to $2 billion in shares
This content was published on
UBS is starting a share buyback programme for up to $2 billion (CHF1.6 billion) in shares, in line with a plan approved at its annual general meeting (AGM) in April, the Swiss bank said on Monday.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.