Chinese experts build space-based computing network

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Chinese scientists and engineers are constructing a space-based computing network to achieve instant processing of satellite-obtained data and build supercomputing capabilities in…

Chinese scientists and engineers are constructing a space-based computing network to achieve instant processing of satellite-obtained data and build supercomputing capabilities in Earth orbit.

The ambitious initiative, led by the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, took a concrete step earlier this week with the founding of Xingyun Space AI Technologies, a joint venture by enterprises invested by the academy and other State-owned investors, in Hefei, Anhui province, intending to integrate orbital computing resources with ground infrastructure.

Wu Yirong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and academic dean at the Aerospace Information Research Institute, said at an industry forum on Monday that the traditional satellite operating model — capturing imagery or data in space, sending raw files back to Earth, and processing them on ground computers — is characterized by severe time lags and low timeliness.

He cited examples that data collected over oceans or concerning general-aviation and commercial drone operations often cannot reach ground stations in a timely manner, causing delay to data analyses or decision-making.

"Space-based computing solves this by equipping satellites with integrated sensing, computing and communication capabilities, so data can be processed instantly as it is collected. Linked via high-speed inter-satellite connections, these orbital computing assets can work as a complementary network to ground-based computing systems," Wu said.

Speaking at the forum, Shao Zongyou, chairman of Xingyun Space AI Technologies, stressed that space-based computing is not simply moving ground computing hardware onto satellites.

"Instead, it is a complex project that covers remote sensing, semiconductors, space networks, spacecraft thermal management, energy supply and constellation control.

The executive explained that the "space cloud" model will integrate remote sensing satellites, communication satellites and…

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