China plans to build a space-based, solar-powered drone (UAV) telecommunications network capable of providing week-long emergency assistance on the ground.



A research institute affiliated with China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp (CASIC) is developing the space-based telecommunications project called "Feiyun," which means "flying cloud," Science and Technology Daily reported Tuesday, saying that the network will be based in near space.



The network can provide week-long emergency communications access and is expected to go on trial later this year.



The technology is crucial for rescue work during natural calamities, Cao Limin, an expert at the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, told the Global Times on Tuesday.



Cao said that emergency communication vehicles are currently used in such situations, which are rendered useless when a calamity prevents access to the site. "A UAV network is immune from such conditions," Cao said.



Ma Hongzhong, head of the institute was quoted by Science and Technology Daily as saying that UAVs can fly as high as 20 kilometers in near space for days - somewhat like a telecommunications satellite - and can also carry out remote sensing and telecommunications relay signals.



Drones operating in near space can free themselves from other disturbances because it is too high for other objects to reach, and the drones can absorb more solar energy closer to the sun, Wang Peiji, an expert at Harbin Institute of Technology's School of Aeronautics, told the Global Times on Tuesday.



The near space area, which is 20 to 100 kilometers above sea level, contains thin air which would inhibit the functioning of fuel-powered aircraft engines, read the report.



Experts also warned that the severe environment in near space poses as a challenge to the UAV.



"If these problems are solved, the UAV in near space would be of great value in many areas," Wang said.



Ma said that compared with low-orbit satellites, the high-flying drones are easy to maintain and control, and can better provide high-resolution data than satellites in high orbit.



The UAVs can be used to warn of natural disasters, sea management and counter-terrorism, according to a press release sent to the Global Times by the institute on Tuesday.



They are also expected to be used as "airborne Wi-Fi hubs" to provide convenient mobile telecommunications and Internet access for remote areas and islands, which would save on construction and maintenance costs of traditional infrastructure, the Xinhua News Agency reported in June.



Wang noted that the UAV also has military uses. "Its remote sensing technology can help the military get accurate information with higher definition." In June, China's first solar-powered UAV, the Caihong (rainbow), completed its first successful near-space test flight at an altitude of more than 20 kilometers.