The four-engine plane with the wingspan of a Boeing 777 made its 2009 maiden flight in Switzerland and further tests have all taken place there. Last year, it completed a 26-hour non-stop flight that proved the plane can stay aloft at night from the solar energy its 12,000 solar cells soaked up during the day.

The Solar Impulse team, led by pilot Andre Borschberg and adventurer Bertrand Piccard, said Friday's 600-km flight across France, Luxembourg and Belgium posed a new challenge because it required navigation across international air traffic networks. It is scheduled to fly to France in June where it will be exhibited at the Paris air show.