Bertrand Piccard(1958 — ?)
Bertrand Piccard
Belgique, Suisse
8 min read
Swiss psychiatrist and aeronaut born in 1958, Bertrand Piccard completed the first non-stop round-the-world balloon flight in 1999. He then became the driving force behind Solar Impulse, the solar-powered aircraft that completed the first fuel-free circumnavigation of the globe in 2015–2016.
Frequently asked questions
Famous Quotes
« Exploration is not only geographical — it is also inner. »
« Change your altitude to change your attitude. »
Key Facts
- 1999: first non-stop round-the-world balloon flight with Brian Jones aboard the Breitling Orbiter 3
- 2003: launch of the Solar Impulse project, an aircraft powered solely by solar energy
- 2015–2016: fuel-free circumnavigation by Solar Impulse 2 with André Borschberg
- 2017: launch of the Solar Impulse Foundation initiative for clean solutions
- From a family of explorers: grandson of Auguste Piccard, son of Jacques Piccard
Works & Achievements
First non-stop circumnavigation of the globe by balloon, completed with Brian Jones in 19 days and 21 hours. This achievement earned Piccard the Gold Medal of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale and a place in the history of exploration.
The first solar-powered aircraft to cross the Alps, the Mediterranean Sea, and the United States, demonstrating the technical feasibility of long-distance flight powered solely by solar energy.
Together with André Borschberg, Piccard completed the first round-the-world flight in a solar aircraft across 17 legs, covering more than 40,000 km without emitting a single gram of CO₂ — proving that clean technologies are ready for large-scale use.
A book blending adventure narratives with philosophical and psychiatric reflections, in which Piccard develops his vision of exploration as a metaphor for personal and social transformation.
A compendium of more than 1,400 clean and economically viable technologies, assessed by independent experts, designed to give governments concrete arguments for accelerating the global energy transition.
A book in which Piccard argues for a pragmatic optimism in the face of environmental challenges, showing that protecting the planet is compatible with economic growth and technological innovation.
Anecdotes
Bertrand Piccard belongs to an extraordinary family of explorers: his grandfather Auguste Piccard reached the stratosphere by balloon in 1931, his father Jacques Piccard dived to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean in the bathyscaphe *Trieste* in 1960, and he himself circumnavigated the globe by balloon in 1999. This lineage of 'firsts' spanning three generations is unique in the history of human exploration.
During the Breitling Orbiter 3 round-the-world balloon flight in 1999, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones came close to abandoning their mission several times due to extreme weather conditions. After 19 days, 21 hours and 55 minutes of flight, they landed in the Egyptian desert on **21 March 1999**, exhausted but triumphant, becoming the first in history to circumnavigate the globe by balloon non-stop.
A trained psychiatrist, Bertrand Piccard uses meditation and self-hypnosis techniques to manage the extreme stress of long solo crossings. He believes that inner exploration is just as important as geographical exploration, and that overcoming one's own fears is the first step of any adventure.
The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft has the wingspan of a Boeing 747 (72 metres) but weighs only 2,300 kg — roughly the equivalent of a large car. Its 17,248 photovoltaic cells allow it to fly day and night without fuel. During the round-the-world journey completed with André Borschberg in 2015–2016, the aircraft covered more than 40,000 km over 505 hours of actual flight time.
After the Solar Impulse 2 round-the-world trip concluded on **26 July 2016** in Abu Dhabi, Bertrand Piccard launched the “1,000 solutions” challenge: his foundation identified more than 1,400 clean and profitable technologies capable of cutting global CO₂ emissions in half. This catalogue was presented to the European Parliament and the United Nations to accelerate the energy transition.
Primary Sources
Life is a succession of moments where we must choose between the security of the known and the adventure of the unknown. Every time I chose the unknown, I grew.
If we want to protect the environment, we must not sacrifice our quality of life, but modernize it. Clean technologies today are more efficient and less expensive than polluting ones.
Solar Impulse is not an aeronautical project, it is a message: if an airplane can fly day and night without fuel, imagine what we could do on Earth with the same technologies.
We took off from Château-d'Œx with the hope and certainty that nothing is impossible. Nineteen days later, flying over Africa, we knew we had changed the history of aviation.
In 17 legs and 505 hours of flight, Solar Impulse 2 demonstrated that it is possible to cross the planet without emitting a single molecule of CO₂, using only the energy of the sun.
Key Places
Bertrand Piccard's birthplace, where he grew up in the intellectual and scientific environment of his family of explorers. He also completed his studies in medicine and psychiatry there.
The Alpine village from which the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon departed on March 1, 1999, for its historic round-the-world flight. The site is now a landmark destination for international hot-air ballooning.
Landing site of the Breitling Orbiter 3 on March 21, 1999, after 19 days of non-stop flight around the globe. This point in the Egyptian desert entered the history books of aeronautical exploration.
Starting and finishing point of the Solar Impulse 2 round-the-world flight (March 2015 – July 2016). Piccard deliberately chose an oil-producing country to launch a solar aviation project, intending it as a powerful political statement.
Headquarters of the Solar Impulse Foundation founded by Bertrand Piccard, from which he coordinates the promotion of clean technologies to governments and international institutions such as the United Nations.
