China’s first home-made solar drone soars to near space

China's first domestically developed solar powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has successfully flown to 20,000 metres (65,000 ft) in a near-space test flight.

The "Rainbow" drone, developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), is believed to be able to stay in near space for months or even years at a time using only solar power, China News Service reported.

Near space refers to sections of the Earth's atmosphere between 20 to 200 km above sea level, altitudes fare above where the commercial airplanes fly but below orbiting satellites.

At its maximum flight altitude, the drone can be used as an alternative for satellite operations, while being more flexible and economic.

Shi Fei, chief engineer for the project, said the drone can be widely used in both civil and military fields. It could aid natural disaster monitoring and response, regular sea area surveillance as well as providing WiFi, mobile communication and TV signal broadcasting services to remote areas.

(GBTIMES)