China admitted owning the balloon but said it was intended for civilian purposes and had entered US airspace by accident.
02:37
Beijing insists ‘balloon does not belong to America’ as US recovers wreckage from sea
Beijing insists ‘balloon does not belong to America’ as US recovers wreckage from sea
The Zhuzhou Rubber Research & Design Institute Co, under China National Chemical Corporation, has denied it had any connection with the “spy balloon” incident.
“It is an unmanned airship that is reported, which is not related to our company,” a spokesperson said on Wednesday.
It has developed some world-leading technologies in the manufacture of sounding balloons, also known as weather balloons. Zhuzhou Rubber institute’s sounding balloon can fly at an altitude of 50,000 metres (164,000 feet) – higher than any competitor’s product.
It has 80 per cent of the Chinese market share and its balloons are exported to more than 40 countries and regions, including Russia, France, the US, Germany and Britain, according to the firm’s website.
Increasing demand for balloons for scientific research and other sectors has stimulated the rapid development of the technology in China, according to industrial experts.
US says downed Chinese balloon part of years-long surveillance plan
A sounding balloon has a rubber balloon and a radiosonde, a small device that measures atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity and wind speed. The balloon is filled with hydrogen or helium, it generally rises at a speed of 6 to 8 metres per second and sometimes bursts on its own after rising to the designed height.
To this day, sounding balloons are still the most important direct detection method of high-altitude weather. Other technologies such as radars and satellites may be more advanced, but they cannot provide real-time, precise data at low cost.
As the balloon lifts off, the surrounding air becomes thinner and the temperature suddenly drops. At this point, high-altitude ultraviolet radiation can cause the rubber to deteriorate, and even cause the sphere to burst early. All these factors mean there is a limit to balloons’ detection ability.
Zhuzhou Rubber improved its rubber formula for the production of balloons and has mastered two kinds of crafting processes: a dipping method and a rotational moulding method.
Balloons produced by Zhuzhou Rubber can rise to an altitude more than four times that of the highest-flying civil aircraft.
During the lift-off process, the balloon scans the sky from low altitude to high altitude like a CT scanner and obtains the key values needed for scientific research or military operations.
03:08
‘We will act’: Biden raises row over Chinese balloon during State of the Union address
‘We will act’: Biden raises row over Chinese balloon during State of the Union address
The company has also designed a flat floating balloon, which can climb to a high altitude, then measure horizontal areas.
“As a new type of high-altitude carrier, it cannot only carry detection instruments into the sky like a conventional sounding balloon, but also maintain a flat floating state for several hours at a certain altitude,” Shen Zhipeng, director of the company’s balloon research and development centre, told Zhuzhou Daily in July 2021.
In the company’s Taobao store, its balloons range in weight from 10 grams to 7,000 grams (0.35-247 oz), and they can reach 50,000 metres. A high-altitude balloon that can fly to 20,000 metres costs just 170 yuan (US$25), while a balloon that reaches 50,000 metres costs nearly 20,000 yuan (US$2,950).
First close-up images of Chinese ‘spy balloon’ as US Navy pulls it from ocean
Zhuzhou Rubber is the designated supplier to the China Meteorological Administration, a department of the People’s Liberation Army and the World Meteorological Organisation. It is also a member of the international Association of Hydro-Meteorological Equipment Industry.
In 2017, the Zhuzhou Rubber institute, as a representative of the Chinese latex industry, led the drafting of the “Meteorological Balloons – Specification”, an international standard.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences is also dedicated to balloon technology research.
Its self-developed floating airship Jimu No. 1 type 3, was launched from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research at an altitude of 4,270 metres and reached 4,762 metres above the ground. It created a world record for atmospheric science observation at an altitude of 9,032 metres.
01:30
China-made giant airship sets world record for highest atmospheric science observations
China-made giant airship sets world record for highest atmospheric science observations
The airship uses the buoyancy of low-density gas to lift into the air and its mooring equipment on the ground keeps it in place. The key components of the control system, power system and ground anchoring facilities were manufactured independently in China.
It carries multiple analytical instruments and acquired key meteorological data in the Mount Everest region.
“This observation is a fusion of hi-tech and cutting-edge science. This is the first time in the world to observe the change of the most critical parameters such as water vapour and greenhouse gases at an altitude of 9,000 metres, which is beyond the height of Mount Everest,” said Professor Yao Tandong who led the scientific expedition team.
Currently, the radiosonde used by the China Meteorological Administration relies on GPS for locating while in the air but it is developing a new radiosonde that uses the Beidou navigation system instead, according to the weather bureau’s website.
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