DJI has successfully completed the first-ever drone delivery tests on Mount Qomolangma from the Nepali side, paving the way for facilitating high-altitude mountaineering, emergency rescue, and environmental protection operations, the Shenzhen-based drone maker announced Wednesday. A DJI FlyCart 30 was utilized in the April tests. During this operation, three oxygen bottles and 1.5 kilograms of other supplies were flown from the Base Camp (at an altitude of 5,364 meters) to Camp 1 (at approximately 6,000 meters) of the world’s highest peak, while waste was carried down on the return trip. The treacherous Khumbu Icefall lies just between the Base Camp and Camp 1, covered with ice blocks and considered very dangerous due to frequent avalanches. Mingma Gyalje Sherpa, a climbing guide with Imagine Nepal Trek and Expeditions, said, “We need to spend 6 to 8 hours each day walking through this icefall. Last year, I lost three Sherpas. If we’re not lucky, if our time is not right, we risk losing our lives there.” According to the drone maker, the DJI drone could transport 15 kilograms of supplies between the camps in 12 minutes for a round trip, day or night. In the tests, FlyCart 30 soared as high as 6,191.8 meters on Mount Qomolangma, situated on the Nepal-China border, and demonstrated the ability to carry a 15-kilogram payload steadily at an altitude of 6,000 meters. Christina Zhang, senior corporate strategy director at DJI, said, “The ability to safely transport equipment, supplies, and waste by drone has the potential to revolutionize Mount Qomolangma mountaineering logistics, facilitate trash clean-up efforts, and improve safety for all involved.” Following the tests, a Nepali drone company was contracted to establish drone delivery operations on Mount Qomolangma starting from May 22. On May 29, the DJI drone was used to remove trash, including ropes and ladders. “It can carry 30 kilograms,” said Jagat Prasad Bhusal, chief administrative officer of Nepal’s Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality where Mount Qomolangma is located. “We plan to utilize it on Mount Ama Dablam during the fall climbing season,” Bhusal added, referring to the 6,812-meter-high Mount Ama Dablam in the eastern Himalayan range of Nepal.(Xinhua) | 