Swiss adventurer and pilot of the experimental solar powered aircraft that took off from Madrid, Spain earlier today has crossed into Moroccan airspace. Bertrand Piccard intends to land at the Moroccan capital of Rabat at 10:30 UTC.

Piccard is in final preparations for landing and his crew is in place at the airport and awaiting his arrival.

He is still at his cruising altitude of of almost 12,000 feet, the general altitude that the craft used since its departure from the European continent earlier today.

The Solar Impulse aircraft flown by Piccard has a wingspan of over 206 feet and is fitted with 12,000 solar cells that power the electric motors that propel the craft.

The intent of the flight is to change perceptions of renewable energy sources according to Piccard. The destination of Morocco was picked because it is in that country that the largest solar power plant in the world is being constructed.

The flight of the Solar Impulse is a trial run for the much larger round the world flight scheduled for 2014. A larger craft with watertight wings that would enable it to fly in rainy conditions for five to six days at a time without landing is soon under construction.

Solar Impulse has a site up where the flight can be watched, complete with altimeter,speed and direction indicators.

That site can be viewed at https://live.solarimpulse.com/ as the flight is still live.