Abu Dhabi, UAE (CNN) It's taken more than 500 days and overcome countless problems, but the epic journey of Solar Impulse 2 is finally complete.

The experimental solar-powered plane made aviation history when it landed in Abu Dhabi before dawn on Tuesday, after successfully circumnavigating the globe without using a single drop of fuel.

The record-breaking mission flown by two Swiss pilots, Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, evoked memories of the likes of the Wright brothers and Amelia Earhart -- aviation pioneers with a similar spirit of adventure and innovation.

Borschberg is an ex-fighter pilot and MIT engineering graduate, while Piccard -- who also made the first non-stop round-the-world balloon flight in 1999 -- comes from a long line of adventurers.

His grandfather, Auguste Piccard, was a physicist with a passion for record-breaking balloon flights, while his father, Jacques Piccard, was a renowned oceanographer and diver. In 1960, together with U.S. Navy diver Don Walsh, the duo became the first men to dive the seven miles (11 kilometers) to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific, the deepest part of the world's oceans.

The wing span of the Solar Impulse plane is wider than a Boeing 747 Jumbo

The journey by Solar Impulse 2, one of the project's two operational aircraft, was no less of a challenge.

With a wingspan greater than that of a Boeing 747 Jumbo jet, Solar Impulse is fitted with four electric engines powered by renewable energy from the sun.

The aircraft is covered with 17,248 solar panels, has on-board batteries that allow it to fly at night, and weighs about as much as an SUV.

It was Piccard who landed the aircraft on the last leg of the journey ; a flight from Cairo to the UAE that lasted more than 48 hours.

BREAKING: we flew 40'000km without fuel. It's a first for energy, take it further! #futureisclean pic.twitter.com/JCvKTDBVZx — SOLAR IMPULSE (@solarimpulse) July 26, 2016

He climbed out of the cockpit after touching down and was immediately embraced by Borschberg as the two men realized the magnitude of their feat.

"I'm not exhausted. I'm so happy," Piccard told CNN after the flight.

Bertrand Piccard inside his cockpit

"You know, with Andre, we have worked for 15 years in that project to make it happen. Finally, after all the doubts, all the problems, all the setbacks, we're successful. It's not the moment to be tired," he said.

"When I saw him coming on the same runway, in the same direction that I took off 15 months ago -- and you have time because this is an airplane that flies slowly -- you have time to enjoy that," said Borschberg. "This was two fantastic minutes. I wanted them to last hours. I was thrilled by this. It was extraordinary," he added.

Records smashed

Solar Impulse 2 began its epic round-the-world journey in March, 2015.

Piccard and Borschberg took turns flying the single-seater aircraft on different legs of the route, and they were in a cockpit not much bigger than that of a Formula One race car.

They had to fly, sleep for 20 minutes at a time, eat and relieve themselves in their seat. "It was a house in the sky," Piccard told CNN while flying over Saudi Arabia

They hopscotched across the globe, flying west to east from Abu Dhabi. They made planned landings in countries including Oman, India, China and the U.S., covering an estimated 24,800 miles (40,000 kilometers).

Flying the first solar-powered plane around the world wasn't the only record the two men set.

In a flight that lasted more than 117 hours, Borschberg also made the world's longest solo flight during a five-day, five-night crossing of the vast Pacific Ocean.

It was a moment of human achievement: for almost five days and five nights Borschberg piloted the plane wearing an oxygen mask as it climbed 8,000 meters high (five miles) during the day, so the aircraft's solar cells could soak up enough energy to propel it through the night.

Bad weather, burned batteries

JUST WATCHED Solar Impulse 2 makes history over Pacific Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Solar Impulse 2 makes history over Pacific 01:49

It was far from easy -- or quick.

Solar Impulse 2 flew at an average speed of 75 kilometers (46 miles) per hour, slower than an ordinary passenger car.

The pilots encountered several setbacks and challenges along the way. A series of frustrating weather delays in China slowed progress for weeks, followed by an unexpected diversion to Japan where the aircraft was damaged on the tarmac by a storm.

And the record-breaking Pacific Ocean crossing came at a cost. The plane's batteries overheated so badly that the trip had to be delayed in Hawaii by 10 months.

Solar Impulse 2 above the Statue of Liberty

It was only after he landed that the team discovered how bad the damage was.

"We made a mistake with our batteries," Piccard said after the plane touched down in July last year. "It was a human mistake."

It was a mistake that took more than nine months to fix, but fix it they did. A new cooling system for the batteries that could be manually operated by the pilot was installed, and the mission benefited from a further $20 million injection in funding to continue.

Viable alternative?

Piccard came up with the idea for the Solar Impulse mission in 2002 and collaborated with Borschberg the following year. Their goal: to prove to the world that renewable energy is a viable alternative to fossil fuels -- even in the skies.

Solar Impulse hits Saudi Arabia -- the blades on its propellers are powered by solar cells

Over the course of the next decade, they built and tested several prototypes of their current plane powered by the sun.

The Solar Impulse project, which cost $170 million in total, was funded mostly by private sponsors.

By 2012, the two men had successfully completed a solar-powered flight across the continental United States, which is when they realized their latest round-the-world journey was possible.

However, it may be some time before solar-powered flights take off commercially.

The Solar Impulse 2 was built with extremely lightweight carbon fiber material, which means it only has enough lift to carry one person.

Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Solar Impulse 2, seen above the Pyramids of Giza on its approach to Cairo, Egypt. Hide Caption 1 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Solar Impulse 2 aircraft lands at Sevilla airport on June 23, 2016, after a 71-hour journey from New York powered only by sunlight. Hide Caption 2 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey The Spanish Air Force's Patrulla Aguila formation team performs past the sun-powered Solar Impulse 2 aircraft arriving few moments before landing at Sevilla airport on June 23, 2016. Hide Caption 3 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Solar Impulse 2 sits on the runway at JFK international airport prior to departing to cross the Atlantic on June 20, 2016. Hide Caption 4 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Solar Impulse 2 flies over the Golden Gate Bridge as part of a fly-by of the San Francisco Bay after flying for two and half days from Hawaii. Hide Caption 5 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Solar Impulse 2 departs Hawaii for the two-and-a-half day flight to California, the 9th leg of its round-the-world trip. Hide Caption 6 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Pilot Bertrand Piccard prepares to take off from Kalaeloa Airport, Hawaii on April 21st 2016, en route to California. The round-the-world solar flight will take 500 flight hours and cover 35,000 km. Hide Caption 7 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey The Solar Impulse 2 is seen at the Kalaeloa Airport in Kapolei, Hawaii, on Friday, July 3. The solar-powered plane, alternately piloted by Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, is attempting to fly around the world without fuel. Hide Caption 8 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Borschberg approaches Honolulu Airport on July 3 after a record-breaking five-day journey across the Pacific Ocean from Japan. Hide Caption 9 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Solar Impulse is seen at sunrise on Monday, June 29, shortly after taking off from the international airport in Nagoya, Japan. The aircraft's Japan-to-Hawaii trip was the most ambitious leg of its quest to circumnavigate the globe powered only by the sun. Hide Caption 10 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey The solar-powered plane prepares to take off from Nagoya on June 29. Hide Caption 11 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey A mobile hangar is opened on Tuesday, June 23, as the plane is prepared for a possible takeoff. The plane had been waiting in Japan for three weeks because of bad weather. Hide Caption 12 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey The mobile hangar at the Nagoya airport, as seen on Wednesday, June 3. Hide Caption 13 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey The Solar Impulse 2 touches down in Nagoya on Monday, June 1. The plane made an unscheduled stop after mission controllers decided the weather was not right for the plane to cross the Pacific Ocean. Hide Caption 14 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey People take pictures as the plane takes off from Nanjing, China, on Sunday, May 31. Hide Caption 15 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Piccard sits in the cockpit right after landing in Chongqing, China, on Sunday, March 31. He had just completed the fifth leg of the global trip. Hide Caption 16 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Borschberg and Piccard are welcomed by a crowd of reporters after landing in Chongqing. Hide Caption 17 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey The Solar Impulse 2 is rolled out of its inflatable mobile hangar before leaving Myanmar for Chongqing on Monday, March 30. Hide Caption 18 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey The plane is prepared on a tarmac in Ahmedabad, India, on Wednesday, March 18. Hide Caption 19 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey The Solar Impulse 2 flies over Muscat, Oman, after taking off on Tuesday, March 10. Hide Caption 20 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey The plane takes off from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Monday, March 9. Its flight to Oman was the first leg of its round-the-world flight. Hide Caption 21 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey The plane is the brainchild of Swiss pilots Piccard, right, and Borschberg. Hide Caption 22 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey The top surface of the Solar Impulse 2's wings is covered with 17,000 solar cells that supply four electric motors with renewable energy. Its batteries can store enough solar daytime energy to keep the plane moving throughout the night. Hide Caption 23 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey The plane's wings stretch for a massive 72 meters (236 feet). Hide Caption 24 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey The plane's cockpit has been designed to ensure that a pilot can live there for a week. Hide Caption 25 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Solar Impulse 2 is the upgraded version of a prototype, pictured here, that made history in 2010 by becoming the first solar aircraft capable of flying overnight. Hide Caption 26 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Solar Impulse 1, pictured here over Lake Geneva, broke several records, including the world's first fully solar-powered intercontinental flight in 2012. Hide Caption 27 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Borschberg is an engineer who studied management science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The aviation enthusiast has been involved in several startups and technology projects over the years. Hide Caption 28 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Piccard, who is also a doctor and a psychiatrist, is the first man to fly around the world non-stop in a balloon. He hails from a family of scientists and explorers. Hide Caption 29 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Piccard's grandfather, Auguste Piccard, was a physics professor who helped pave the way for high-altitude navigation by inventing the pressurized cabin. He was also the first person to reach the stratosphere in a balloon. Hide Caption 30 of 31 Photos: Solar Impulse 2's round-the-world journey Piccard's father, Jacques, was the first man to dive to the bottom of the Marianas Trench -- the deepest point of the world's oceans. Hide Caption 31 of 31

And while the Solar Impulse 2 didn't use any fuel, the pilot who wasn't at the helm -- as well as a portion of the 90-strong support staff -- had to fly commercially to each successive destination.

Piccard admitted the team's biggest accomplishment doesn't involve world records -- or even the flight itself. Real success in their drive to implement renewable energy around the world, he said, will come only if others carry on their torch.

"Solar Impulse has made a great achievement," Piccard announced to a crowd in Abu Dhabi just moments after exiting the cockpit.

"Now it's your turn to take it further."