New | 'Disruptive' Chinese helium balloon technology could beam Wi-fi from near space
Called the 'Traveller', Kuangchi's giant, one tonne helium balloon will float in near space, 20 to 100 kilometres above the earth where commercial airliners fly but below orbiting satellites.
Shenzhen-based Kuangchi Science is developing a helium balloon capable of floating in near-space which could "disrupt" the telecommunications industry, according to chairman Liu Ruopeng.
Called the "Traveller", Kuangchi's giant, one tonne helium balloon will float in near space, 20 to 100 kilometres above the earth where commercial airliners fly but below orbiting satellites.
The technology "has a number of potential applications, the most obvious being Wi-Fi access," Kuangchi said in a statement.
"The balloons, which are equipped with transponders and fail-safe systems so their movement and altitude can be tracked and managed, provide a similar service to satellites but at a fraction of the cost. The balloons remain in near space with self-generated solar power and are capable of recovery and task reloading."
Liu accompanied Chinese president Xi Jinping in November during a visit to New Zealand, where he signed contracts with Airways New Zealand and Pengxin International to develop the "disruptive" technology.
“The first Traveller trial will be done in the first half of this year,” he said.
