China's self-developed floating airship that is used in the second comprehensive scientific expedition to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau reached a record altitude of 7,003 meters in Tibet Autonomous Region Thursday, according to its developer.
Developed by the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the floating airship named "Jimu No. 1" has a volume of 2,300 cubic meters. It can carry scientific instruments to conduct upper air observation and collect weather data.
The airships named "Jimu No. 2" and "Jimu No. 3" are also being developed. Jimu No. 2 is designed to operate at the altitude of 7,000 to 7,500 meters and Jimu No. 3 is expected to exceed the height of Mount Qomolangma.
The control system, power system and ground mooring facilities of the airships are independently developed by China.
The research mission aims to observe the climate change on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and provide support for its sustainable development. (Xinhua)
Chinese scientists launched a giant aerostat, a helium-filled tethered balloon, called Jimu-1 on Thursday morning to observe atmospheric water vapor at a record altitude of 7,003 meters in the Namtso region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Unlike a blimp, which is powered and steerable in the air, Jimu-1 is essentially a supersized balloon with a volume of 2,300 cubic meters.
A floating airship developed in China, named Jimu No.1, reached a new world record altitude of 9,032 meters on Sunday. The airship ascended with a speed of 30 meters per second from a base camp at an altitude of 4,300 meters on Mount Qomolangma, the world's highest peak, located on the China-Nepal border, at 1:26 a.m. Beijing Time.
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