Qian Xuesen

New Capabilities

Deceased (1911-2009)

In 1957, Chinese aerospace pioneer Qian Xuesen proposed capturing wind energy by wrapping turbines in circular housings at high altitudes. Nearly seven decades later, a Beijing startup has turned that vision into reality. Between September 19 and 21, 2025, China successfully flew the S1500—a helium-filled turbine the size of a basketball court—at 1,500 meters altitude in Xinjiang's desert, generating one megawatt of power. No other country has come close to this scale.

Updated Jan 26