China’s solar-powered, semi-satellite drone

Context

China’s first fully solar-powered unmanned aerial vehicle has successfully completed its maiden test flight with all on-board systems functioning optimally.

About

About the new machine

The drone is a large machine powered entirely by solar panels.
It has a wingspan of 164-ft.
The high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) UAV can stay airborne for long durations.
It is named as the Qimingxing-50, or Morning Star-5.
This drone flies above 20-km altitude where there is stable airflow with no clouds.
This helps these drones to make the maximum use of solar equipment to stay functional for extended durations.
In fact, the drone’s chief designer told South China Morning Post that it can operate without a break for months, even years.
It is capable of carrying out satellite-like functions.
If satellite services are not available for, say, time-sensitive operations or in case of wartime disruption, then near-space UAVs can step in to fill the operational gap.
These drones are also referred to as ‘High Altitude Platform Stations’ or pseudo-satellites.
China already has this capacity, but the Qimingxing-50’s long-endurance provides an added advantage to make this capability available over a longer period.