Solar Plane Resumes Round-The-World Flight On Thursday

Just in time for Earth Day, the Solar Impulse 2 is taking to the skies, resuming its around-the-world journey on April 21 at 11:00 AM Eastern.

ICYMI, the first Solar Impulse flew across the United States in 2013, a preview of its global ambitions. The completely solar-powered Solar Impulse 2 has been on a globetrotting trip since last April, when it took off in Abu Dhabi on a mission to raise awareness about clean technologies. Piloting duties are split between Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg.

They've broken records along the way, with Borschberg spending five days alone piloting the plane over the Pacific from Japan to Hawaii. Unfortunately, that long solo flight took a toll on the plane as well as the pilot, with battery trouble grounding the plane in Hawaii last July.

If pilot Bertrand Piccard takes off tomorrow as scheduled, their layover in Hawaii will have lasted for 293 days. But weather delays have hampered scheduled takeoffs in the past. We'll have to cross our fingers and hope for the best.