DJI's Drone Sets New Record for High-Altitude Transport on Mount Everest
TapTechNews June 5th. TapTechNews learned from the official website of DJI that Shenzhen DJI Innovation Technology Co., Ltd., a well-known Chinese drone enterprise, announced today that it has recently conducted the first high-altitude transportation test of drones on the southern slope of Mount Qomolangma for the first time. This is also the world's first round-trip transportation test of civilian cargo-carrying drones on the airway from 5,300 meters to 6,000 meters above sea level, creating the highest transport record for civilian drones.
According to DJI, the DJI cargo-carrying drone test team conducted a one-week high-altitude flight and transportation capacity test of the drone from April 25th to May 1st at the Everest South Col Base Camp at an altitude of 5,364 meters and above, effectively verifying the plateau adaptability of the drone hovering, unloaded flight, and loaded flight. At the same time, it created the highest flight record of civilian cargo-carrying drones at an altitude of 6,191.8 meters (approx. 20,346.78 feet), and a round-trip transportation record of 15 kilograms of load at an altitude of 6,000 meters. The team built a drone transportation route between the Everest South Col Base Camp and Camp 1 and transported oxygen cylinders uphill and garbage downhill.
After verification, in the flight period when the temperature is minus 5℃ and the wind speed reaches 15 meters per second (equivalent to a 7-level wind), FC30 can fly stably at an altitude of around 6,000 meters without any modification and has a load-carrying capacity of 15 KG. In the transportation task of 15 kilograms of load, a 2.7-kilometer long route, and a 700-meter elevation, there is still 43% of the battery remaining after a one-round-trip transportation, and the power margin still exceeds 20% under extreme climbing conditions. The power system performs stably and still has elevation potential.
It is reported that this is also the world's first actual drone transportation test completed in a 6,000-meter high-altitude natural environment and under real climbing conditions. This test was initiated by DJI and assisted by Nepalese drone operating company Airlift, domestic professional imaging team 8KRAW, and Imagine Nepal Mountaineering Company. After solving a series of problems such as flight permits, equipment transportation, and route planning, the transportation test was successfully completed.
It is learned that after the successful test, the local Nepalese drone operating company has started the regular transportation project of cargo-carrying drones in the Everest area on May 22nd, mainly including cleaning up the remaining garbage on the southern slope of Everest. This means that in the near future, drones can transport equipment to Camp 1 day and night, and also use drones to transport the remaining garbage and excrement in the camp. We don't have to frequently cross the glacier at night, and it will save more lives. Nepalese climbing guide Mingmar Sherpa said.
The Khumbu Glacier on the route from the Everest South Col Base Camp to Camp 1 is one of the first major obstacles in the southern slope climb and one of the most complex and dangerous sections in the southern slope climbing geographical environment. Mingmar said that the Khumbu Glacier area is complex, w ith crisscrossing ice fissures, and a Sherpa guide may need to cross the Khumbu Glacier more than 30 times in a climbing season to transport oxygen cylinders, gas tanks, tents, food, ropes and other supplies. Although helicopter transportation is already supported in the Everest area, there are often situations such as untimely scheduling, inability to fly, and inability to land, and the cost is high.
Zhang Xiaonan, the senior corporate strategy director and press spokesperson of DJI, said, Today is World Environment Day. We hope that drones can not only provide material transportation guarantees for commercial climbing and reduce accidents; on the other hand, through the drone garbage removal plan, damage to the environment caused by climbing activities can be reduced and protect Everest and the natural environment.