China’s tethered balloon: 2-tonne payload capacity 800 meters above

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China’s tethered balloon: 2-tonne payload capacity 800 meters above

China’s first tethered balloon able to lift 2 tonnes entered trial operation on September 21, 2026, hauling transmission tower materials to ridges above 4,000 metres on the Tibet section of the Xizang-Guangdong ±800 kV UHVDC project.

China’s first tethered balloon began testing as part of a major power transmission line construction project on Monday.

It’s the country’s first tethered balloon that can lift 2 tonnes, and this week it began hauling tower parts to 4,000-metre ridges.

So what’s a tethered balloon? One that stays tied to the ground.

This 25-metre giant floats on helium, and cables reeled in and out from the ground steer it.

It can travel 800 metres with under half a metre of error.

Why? Roads would scar this fragile land, and drones can’t haul this much for long.

It’s all for a 2,681-kilometre line built to carry power from Tibet to Shenzhen.

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