The first round-the-world solar-powered flight landed in China today, completing the fifth leg of its round the world attempt.

The 35,000 km journey is seeking to demonstrate that flying long distances fuelled by renewable energy is possible.

The Solar Impulse 2 arrived in the Chinese city of Chongqing after a flight of 20 and a half hours from Mandalay in Myanmar.

It is making its way around the earth in about 25 flight days at speeds of between 50 kph and 100 kph.

The next leg will see the plane cross to Nanjing in eastern China before crossing the Pacific Ocean via a stop over in Hawaii.

The aircraft is as heavy as a family car at 2,300 kg but has a wingspan as wide as the largest airliner.

The design and construction of the Solar Impulse took 12 years. A first version of the craft rolled out in 2009 and broke records for height and distance travelled by a manned solar plane.

The pilot who flew the fifth leg of the journey was Bertrand Piccard. He and fellow pilot Andre Borschberg are taking turns at the controls of Solar Impulse 2, which began its journey in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on March 9.

Source: Tuesday, March 31, 2015, 10:50 by Reuters