The solar-powered plane that spent a few weeks moored in the Lehigh Valley completed its historic flight around the world early Tuesday morning, local time.
It was March 9, 2015, when the Solar Impulse 2 took off from the capital of the United Arab Emirates in an effort to show a plane can fly around the world powered solely by solar power. There was no backup fuel for the plane, powered by 17,248 solar panels in the wings that charge four batteries so it can take off and fly at night.
The final leg that brought the plane back to Abu Dhabi completed a trip more than 25,000 miles long, or 40,290 kilometers, according to the flight log.
Piccard alternated legs with his co-pilot and fellow Swiss aeronautical pioneer, Andre Borschberg.
Borschberg flew out of LVIA on June 10 for an overnight hop into JFK International Airport in New York City, on a leg that featured an early morning flyby past the Statue of Liberty.
The journey came to a close about 8 p.m. EDT Monday, or 4 a.m. Tuesday in Abu Dhabi.
Piccard and Borschberg, along with their mobile flight crew and mission control in Monaco, France, maintain the end of the flight is just the beginning of the future for renewable energy.
Here is a look at what those behind the Solar Impulse 2 were saying on social media about the final leg of the trip:
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