Nestlé to fuel Solar Impulse pilots

When two Swiss pilots set off from Abu Dhabi to make the first ever attempt to fly a solar-powered aircraft around the world, they will be fuelled by specially designed food and drink supplied by Nestlé.

Nestlé scientists have spent four years working with the Solar Impulse project to develop a range of meals and snacks that can withstand extreme variations in temperature and climatic conditions and give the pilots the proper energy and protein content to cope with tough physical conditions.

Solar Impulse is a pioneering aircraft which can fly long distances powered only by the sun. Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard (chairman) and André Borschberg (CEO) are the founders, pilots and driving force behind Solar Impulse (Si2), the first aircraft able to fly day and night without a drop of fuel - propelled solely by the sun’s energy.

Si2 engineers have designed and constructed a new single-seater aircraft made of carbon fibre. It has a 72 m wingspan (larger than that of the Boeing 747) for a weight of just 2300 kg, equivalent to that of a car. The 17,248 solar cells built into the wing supply electric motors (17.5 CV each) with renewable energy. The solar cells recharge four lithium batteries totalling 633 kg each, which allow the aircraft to fly at night and therefore have virtually unlimited autonomy.

The Si2 Round-The-World flight will take off from Abu Dhabi (UAE) in early March. The flight is expected to take around five months - consisting of multiple stopovers in locations including China, India and the United States, and spanning 35,000 km and 500 hours of actual flying time - and return by late July 2015.

“Working with the Solar Impulse team over the last four years has been an immensely rewarding experience,” said Nestlé research scientist Dr Amira Kassis. “Nestlé Research has developed food that must withstand extreme conditions and provide the right levels of nutrition. Success relies on using the right packaging, ensuring the right supplies are in the right place and providing the pilots with something they can enjoy on their adventure.”

Dr Kassis will follow the plane over the coming months, managing the diet and nutrition of the pilots and ensuring that the correct amounts of food are available.

Nestlé will be providing all of the meals on board in specially designed packaging.