Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) — China is boosting its presence in low Earth orbit to support growing demand for smart device connectivity, launching four new satellites this month to expand its Tianqi constellation.
On May 19, China successfully launched a commercial carrier rocket, CERES-1, from a platform in the sea off Shandong Province, east China, placing a group of four satellites in the Tianqi constellation into their planned orbit.
Following SpaceX’s lead, a growing number of Chinese aerospace companies have begun building Starlink-style satellite networks in recent years. Some of these commercial space firms specialize in developing critical digital infrastructure for the Internet of Things (IoT).
The Tianqi satellite constellation developed and operated by GuoDianGaoKe Technology has reached the first phase of deployment, with 37 satellites in orbit forming a global network providing services in the fields of smart cities, marine monitoring, emergency communications and environmental monitoring.
The launch of four new satellites will reduce the constellation’s orbital period, a key factor for real-time data transmission, to five minutes, increasing operational efficiency by 37.5 percent.
“Tianqi has filled the technological gap in China’s low-orbit IoT satellite field. Its technical systems, system performance and terminal performance have reached the world level,” said Lu Qiang, chairman of GuoDianGaoKe Technology.
Tianqi is currently exploring the consumer markets for smartphones, smart cars and wearables. The second phase of the project involves developing and launching additional satellites to improve consumer-grade applications.
Another commercial satellite constellation project, funded by a leading Chinese automaker, aims to revolutionize intelligent vehicle connectivity through space.
Geely’s Future Mobility Constellation, developed by its space subsidiary Geespace, has deployed 30 satellites across three orbital planes.
The deployment provided 90 percent global coverage, making Geespace the first Chinese commercial enterprise to offer low-orbit satellite communications services to international users.
“The group focuses on intelligent driving, smart mobility and consumer electronics scenarios,” said Geespace founder and CEO Wang Yang.
Geely’s Future Mobility Constellation project is divided into three phases: 72 satellites for global real-time data transmission (phase one), 264 satellites for direct smartphone connectivity (phase two), and 5,676 satellites for global broadband access (phase three).
Thanks to the satellite constellation, Geely’s Zeekr and Galaxy electric vehicles are equipped with space communications, allowing users to send messages via satellite when terrestrial networks fail.
In June 2024, Geely’s satellite constellation began international commercial operation in the Middle East, and is scheduled to expand to North Africa in 2025, marking a new milestone for Chinese commercial space companies on the global stage. -0-