China's Top Airship Scientist Promoted Program to Watch the World From Above

[icymist]

In 2019, years before a hulking high-altitude Chinese balloon floated across the United States and caused widespread alarm, one of China’s top aeronautics scientists made a proud announcement that received little attention back then: His team had launched an airship more than 60,000 feet into the air and sent it sailing around most of the globe, including across North America.

The scientist, Wu Zhe, told a state-run news outlet at the time that the “Cloud Chaser” airship was a milestone in his vision of populating the upper reaches of the earth’s atmosphere with steerable balloons that could be used to provide early warnings of natural disasters, monitor pollution or carry out airborne surveillance.

“Look, there’s America,” Wu said in an accompanying video, pointing on a computer screen to a red line that appeared to trace the airship’s path across Asia, northern Africa, and near the southern edge of the United States. By the time of the report, it was over the Pacific Ocean.

Wu’s announcement is part of a body of evidence revealing in new detail the scope of the Chinese government’s ambitions to use high-altitude airships to track earthbound activities, with an eye on both domestic and military needs. Chinese media reports, academic studies and officials’ speeches suggest that Wu has been central to China’s balloon development efforts.

https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/chinas-top-airship-scientist-promoted-program-to-watch-the-world-from-above/

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https://archive.ph/7027N

[RKP5637]

1. Ready, Aim, Fire to 60,000 feet plus! n/t

[SergeStorms]

2. I'm sure China's intentions....

are purely humanitarian, and have no military or corporate purposes.