China’s unmanned helicopter “Polar Hawk 2” has completed its maiden flight on Monday, Jan. 18, from the Great Wall Station in the South Pole, and took photographs of fauna and flora in the area, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
According to the report, "Polar Hawk 2" can fly for about one hour at a time at an altitude of up to 1,500 meters. The unmanned helicopter was developed by the Beijing Normal University.
Cheng Xiao, head of the research team, said that the lithium-battery-powered aircraft is highly efficient, quiet and has low emissions.
The report said that during the aircraft's one-hour flight on Monday, it took more than 350 high-quality photos.
Chen said that the helicopter took a clear photo of the station located in the Fildes Peninsula, which is known for its unpredictable weather. No clear satellite photos of the station have been previously taken.
According to the report, China currently maintains four Antarctic research stations in the area: Taishan, Great Wall, Kunlun and Zhongshan.
Cheng added that the aircraft also took pictures of animal population in area such as penguins and skua. The operation also helped provide estimates of the quantity of greenhouse gases over Philip Island, providing essential information for climate change studies.
China's research and development of unmanned helicopters is among the most advanced in the world, Huang Huabing, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said.
Aside from this mission, Chinese unmanned helicopters have also conducted flights at the Svalbard archipelago in the North Pole and Zhongshan Station in the South Pole.
In 2014, Chinese scientists also used unmanned aircraft to collect information for China's first airport in the South Pole, during its 31st mission to the Antarctic continent.
The drone, made by Beihang University in Beijing and called "White Shark," was used to gather information such as ice temperatures and geological conditions of the ice sheet, to determine if the place is suitable for an airport runway.
Liang Jianhong, the Beihang University professor who led the drone project, said that the drone receive signals from China's Beidou navigation satellite system and is equipped with an infrared thermometer, radar ranging equipment and an optical camera.