Chinese scientists break aerostat altitude record

The Jimu-1 aerostat, a giant helium-filled tethered airship. [Photo/CCTV News]

Chinese scientists have launched the latest model of Jimu-1 aerostat, a giant helium-filled tethered airship, on Sunday to collect weather data at a record altitude of 9,032 meters on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

It was the first time an aerostat of its size reached this height, surpassing even the summit of the 8,849 meters tall Mount Qomolangma, known as Mount Everest in the West.

The surface of the airship is made of advanced composite fabric that can withstand temperatures as low as -70 C. It has a volume of 9,060 cubic meters and weights around 2.6 metric ton, according to the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The aircraft can carry numerous scientific instruments that allow scientists to collect atmospheric data and study the moisture transport process, and track changes in black carbon, dust, methane, carbon dioxide and other substances at extreme altitude.

Scientists hope this data could yield important insights on how westerlies, winds from the west toward the east in the middle latitudes, can affect the environment on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The Jimu-1 Model III is the latest of three airships aimed at collecting key atmospheric data on the plateau to observe the effects of climate change. The first model was launched in 2019 and reached a height of 7,003 meters.