According to a report from China’s Xinhua News Agency on May 5, a drone from DJI, known as the world’s largest drone manufacturer, has set a record for civilian drones. It passed a high-altitude transport test on Mount Everest, exceeding 19,685 feet above sea level.
DJI announced that starting on April 25, they conducted high-altitude adaptability tests, including drone hovering and cargo flight, between Mount Everest’s southern base camp at 17,598 feet above sea level and higher areas. During the test, the DJI FC30 drone reached its highest altitude of 20,322.8 feet on Mount Everest. This demonstrated that DJI drones could reliably transport a load of 33 pounds at altitudes above 19,685 feet.
In high-altitude areas like Mount Everest, known as the world’s highest peak, battery efficiency and flight performance decrease due to low air density and temperature. Moreover, strong winds accompanied by blizzards further complicate navigation. As a result, DJI created a drone specifically for high-altitude conditions and deployed it for this test.
After the successful test, Xinhua reported that a local drone operating company in Nepal launched a routine transport project involving garbage cleanup using drones from the southern slope of Everest on the 22nd of last month.
The route from Everest’s southern base camp to Camp 1 is renowned for its peril due to the complex terrain and formidable obstacle, the Khumbu Icefall. Local Sherpas transporting supplies such as oxygen cylinders, gas cylinders, tents, and food may need to cross the Khumbu Icefall up to 30 times in a single climbing season.
Xinhua stated, “Although there are support helicopters in the Everest region, transportation delays or cases where flight and landing are impossible, coupled with high costs, pose a challenge,” and “the potential of drones being utilized in high-altitude areas has increased.”
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