File photo/Huanqiu.com

China’s first new type near-space airship “Yuanmeng” was successfully launched in Xilinhot, Inner Mongolia on Tuesday.

“Yuanmeng” is a colossal silvery airship and occupies 18,000 cubic meters. With the lift of helium it rises into the air, and then it is mainly powered by solar energy. The airship will stay near space for 48 hours according to plan.

Near space is the region of Earth's atmosphere that lies between 20 to 100 km (65,000 and 328,000 feet) above sea level. Impeded by the height and air density of the region, traditional aircrafts find it difficult to enter. 

The U.S. and Russia are committed to scientific and technology research in near-space. American X-51A and HTV-2 hypersonic aircraft can maintain high-speed flight in near space.If an aircraft can fly at five times the speed of sound, it would only take one hour for it to fly across the Atlantic.

The airship can be used to conduct data relays, weather forecasts, ground surveillance and missile warnings. Near-space airship technology has a huge potential in military and civil fields, so China needs to advance their research in this field, Chinese aviation expert Wang Yanan said.