CNET.com reported Saturday the plane, its 200-foot wingspan covered by more than 12,000 solar panels, flew the mission Friday without fuel and without producing any pollution.

The plane, piloted by Andre Borschberg, took off from Payerne Airfield in Switzerland shortly before 9 a.m. Friday and climbed to an altitude of about 12,500 feet. It landed in Brussels about 9:40 p.m.

The plane relies on energy produced by the sun and stored in special batteries to keep it aloft.

The plane first flew in 2009. It's owners plan a cross-Atlantic trip later this year, to be followed by an around-the-world trip in 2013.

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