Yangtze River Delta Satellite Manufacturing Enterprise | Satellite | Satellite Manufacturing
A few days ago, good news came from the private aerospace industry. The ultra-low orbit test satellite Qiankun-1 was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. As China's first ultra-low orbit test satellite, its successful launch is of great significance. Simply put, according to the regulations of the International Telecommunication Union, the rules for satellite frequency and orbit use are "first come, first served", and the number of satellites that the orbit can accommodate is limited. The United States has already taken the lead in launching low orbit satellites from around 300 to 1000 kilometers, making it easier to achieve "overtaking on bends" by targeting ultra-low orbit satellites from around 150 to 300 kilometers. It is worth mentioning that the enterprise developing the Qiankun-1 satellite comes from Zhejiang and was established in 2020. The R&D center of Saisi Beisi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. is located in Hangzhou, and its aerospace intelligent manufacturing base is located in Zhuji Economic Development Zone. It is expected that by 2024, the total assembly, integration, and testing capabilities of 200 high-resolution remote sensing satellites can be achieved annually.
Although there are only a few domestic enterprises that have laid out ultra-low orbit satellites, low orbit satellite enterprises have been flourishing year by year, and many of their satellite factories are located in the Yangtze River Delta, making efforts in launching satellites.
For example, in June 2022, automotive company Geely launched the Geely Constellation 01 satellite group into space using the Long March 2C carrier rocket, and 9 satellites successfully entered the designated orbit. And this star was independently developed by Geely Technology Group's Zhejiang Spacetime Daoyu Technology Co., Ltd. and produced at the Taizhou Satellite Factory. This factory obtained the commercial satellite manufacturing project license approval from the National Development and Reform Commission as early as early as 2021, becoming the second private enterprise in China to obtain satellite production qualifications. The first civilian commercial satellite in Zhejiang Province was taken offline here, and in the future, the factory will have an annual production capacity of 500 satellites.
On July 23 this year, the Long March 2D carrier rocket successfully launched the Galaxy Space Lingxi 03 satellite, mainly for satellite communication technology verification. The satellite is produced by Galaxy Aerospace's satellite smart factory located in Nantong, Jiangsu. This factory adopts a pulsating station production layout, equipped with more than 150 sets of advanced equipment, and has functions such as satellite assembly integration, environmental testing, comprehensive testing, as well as the ability to develop and support single component components such as solar wings and cables. It can achieve efficient batch production of various types of satellites.
Why build the factory in the Yangtze River Delta?
On the one hand, the manufacturing capacity of the Yangtze River Delta has always been at the forefront, with a complete supply chain and numerous suppliers, which can easily facilitate synergy. In terms of technology, many universities in the Yangtze River Delta have also formed a good ecosystem of industry university research integration with the manufacturing industry for a long time. The Chairman of Saisi Beisi Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. has revealed that it has long-term close cooperation with multiple experts and professors from the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the School of Earth Sciences of Zhejiang University. The Zhuji Municipal Government is also building research centers and public platforms with key universities and units. On the other hand, the strong support from the government in the Yangtze River Delta region has given enterprises more confidence. This year, Zhejiang has designated the aerospace information industry as one of the nine rapidly growing future industries with priority development in the Guiding Opinions on Cultivating and Developing Future Industries. In the three-year action plan for the development of the aerospace industry recently released by Jiangsu, "focusing on commercial aerospace" was included as a key development focus, which mentioned the key development of rocket engines and major structural components, micro satellites, payloads, and subsystem research and manufacturing. The goal of Hefei City, Anhui Province is to build a "Chinese Star City", accelerate the establishment of constellation system, focus on core links such as constellation system and upstream and downstream shortcomings, and promote the signing and landing of high-quality constellation projects and a number of key projects. The future market of the satellite industry is extremely huge. Looking up to the sky, the Yangtze River Delta has made sufficient preparations.
