TAKE TO THE SKIES
2017-07-19
Beijing Review 2017年25期
Caihong， or Rainbow， Chinas f irst near-space solar drone， prepares for a test fl ight.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. announced on June 13 that the unmanned aerial vehicle had successfully conducted a test fl ight at an altitude of 20 km for over 15 hours. With this China has become the third country after the U.S. and the UK to master the technology for making solar-powered near-space drones.
With a wingspan of 45 meters， Caihong is capable of cruising at a speed of 150-200 km per hour. It will be used mostly for meteorological observation， communications relay and disaster monitoring.
