Jimu 1 balloon breaks ground in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau expedition

During the 2022 expedition, Jimu 1 set a world record by ascending to 9,050 meters, surpassing Mount Qomolangma's height.

In the past few weeks, from August to Sept 19, the experiment completed 30 flight verifications across different altitudes and meteorological conditions, providing substantial empirical evidence for subsequent technological optimization.

He Zeqing, senior engineer at AIR, said an aerostat is an aircraft that generates buoyancy by filling its interior with a gas (usually helium) that is less dense than air. Aerostat predate airplanes and are considered an ancient type of aerospace vehicle.

"As a significant category of aerostat, aerostat or tethered balloons boast unparalleled competitive advantages in many application scenarios due to their long endurance, wide coverage, flexible deployment, strong load capacity, and low operational cost," said He Zeqing.

"Therefore, they become the core platform for constructing an integrated 'sky-earth' observation system. The Jimu 1 tethered balloon has emerged as a benchmark product, reflecting the level of independent innovation in China's airship observation field," he added.