Solar Impulse 2 leaves for Varanasi from Ahmedabad

The Solar Impulse 2, which aims to become the first plane to circumnavigate the globe using only the power of the sun to drive its four propellers, on Wednesday left from Ahmedabad for Varanasi.

The solar plane's next stop is Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, which is also the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Pilot Bertrand and fellow pilot Andre Borschberg will take turns at the controls of Solar Impulse 2, which began its journey in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on Monday, as it makes its way around the globe in about 25 flight days at speeds of between 50 and 100 kilometers per hour.

The aircraft is as heavy as a family car at 2,300 kilograms, but has a wingspan as wide as the largest airliner. The design and construction of the Solar Impulse took 12 years.

After leaving India, the plane will make stopovers in Myanmar and China before crossing the Pacific Ocean and flying across the United States and southern Europe to arrive back in Abu Dhabi by late July.