In order to test technology for its upcoming 13,000-satellite broadband mega constellation in low-Earth orbit to compete with SpaceX's Starlink, China has launched its first communications satellite with an incredibly thin, flexible solar wing.
On top of a Long March 2D rocket, the Lingxi-03, developed by the Beijing-based startup GalaxySpace, launched on Sunday at 10.50 a.m. from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province, central China, according to South China Morning Post.
Foldable Solar Panel Wings
According to official broadcaster CCTV, the foldable solar panel on the Lingxi-03 is only 5 percent as thick as a conventional solar panel and roughly the thickness of a credit card.
The solar array is 5 cm thick when it is folded inside a rocket and extends to 9 meters long and 2.5 meters broad (29.5 feet by 8.2 feet) when it is operating in orbit.
China had previously solely utilized these solar panels to power its Tiangong space station.
First Satellite With a Fully-Integrated Main Body Structure
The Lingxi-03 is also China's first satellite with a fully integrated main body structure. The satellite platform was designed with superior die-cast technologies and was suitable for mass manufacturing because it was modeled after a car's chassis.
According to Hu Zhao, the satellite's chief commander, the Lingxi-03 has a digital payload that can process tens of gigabytes of data per second and will test technologies such as stackable satellite release, active thermal control, and next-generation low-orbit broadband communications, among others.
Due to the open-frame construction of the Lingxi-03, all of its instruments are directly attached to its outside and are thus exposed to the hostile conditions of space.
According to Hu, this necessitated extreme radiation shielding and temperature control for the device's circuits.
The first Chinese company specializing in satellite-based internet services, GalaxySpace, was established in 2018. According to reports, the business raised money in September, valuing it at $1.58 billion.
GalaxySpace successfully tested a 5G network in March 2022 by launching six communications satellites into low-Earth orbit for an experimental network known as the "mini-spider constellation".
In order to progress the development of the national constellation known as Guowang, Zhu stated that the company will speed up research into key technologies such as phased array antennas for direct satellite-to-device communications. The company would also work with partners along the industrial chain.
China will launch the first round of its Guowang satellites later this year, according to a March article by SpaceNews.
Astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who keeps track of launches on his website, claims that there are more than 4,500 Starlink satellites in orbit at the moment.
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