Please note that this is not a Google project. The title misleadingly seems to state that. [1]

Google seems to be doing these campaigns more often recently, to promote Google+, Hangouts, YouTube livestreams and other products of theirs. (Also see RSC's "A Midsummer Night's Dream2 [2] for another project to showcase Google+.)

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Impulse

[2] http://dreaming.dream40.org/

Check as well their official website: http://live.solarimpulse.com/

And their list of partners: http://www.solarimpulse.com/en/team/partners/

Google is not listed as a partner neither as investor!

Very interesting. I wonder if it's a new service by Google. Neat projects like Solar Impulse get exposure via Google platform. And Google, in turn, gets positive publicity and compelling event to recruit more data for NSA :)

Actually this is not a google project, Google's just doing the live coverage for the cross-US flight. I learned about solar impulse in 2009 because my former employer is one the partners.

This project was initiated by Bertrand Piccard in 2003. He is better know for the first balloon flight around the world in 1999. cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_Impulse

Seems to me to be a partnership for the streaming of the Solar Impulse guys' flight, not Google (substantially) financing it. Their website doesn't seem to mention Google: http://www.solarimpulse.com

There's an easter egg video if you hover over the 4-color bar in the bottom right of the page. Direct link:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ap2yUubnw4c?rel=0&fs=1&showinfo...

I saw the plane when they came through St Louis last month, and snapped a few pictures. It's really impressive how big it was; at 208 feet the wingspan is a few feet shy of a 747-400.

http://imgur.com/a/wXLUI

Relatively amazing. Relatively because when I read the title I thought it was some kind of solar sailing spaceship. That would have been way too cool, though.

By the way, the page ends with "Here's to the explorers". That phrase kind of reminds me of something different.

"Here's to the *" reminds me of Google Zeitgeist videos.

The title needs changed. As has been mentioned in other comments Google is just streaming the live coverage of this and doesn't have much (if anything) to do with the project.

"This video is not available"

Same here. Just record the damn thing and upload to youtube.

I didn't know about this google project. This seems really awesome.

Can someone more knowledgeable please comment on how big is this? Is this something revolutionary, or is there some catch?

This is not at all a Google project. Check out their website: Google is even not listed as one of their partners!

Is it just me or Google is "focusing" on software projects but going even wilder on grand sci-fi like projects that seem to demand a lot more budget?

Google has nothing to do with this project - it's just on a PR push to associate it's name with futuristic projects.

[edit: like a cigarette company sponsoring sports events]

I had to double check wikipedia but I am pretty sure Google isn't involved in any Solar Impulse R&D or financing.

I had the chance to discuss for a few minutes with one of the founder (don't think it was the one who went from Bxl to Paris in 16hrs). Really nice guys. They are lean and high-tech.

They were the first to be able to fly the plane a whole night without refuel (obviously).

At the time they were still operating the first version of the plane. The next (or current one) should have a pressurized cabin.