China's First Space-Based IoT Project Concludes Phase 1 Construction

The Xingyun project, China's first self-developed space-based Internet-of-Things (IoT) project, has concluded its first phase of construction with the Xingyun-2 01 and 02 satellites finishing several in-orbit technical verifications and industrial pilot application testing.

In the past more than five months the two experimental satellites have carried out technical tests on platform and payload status, feeder link communication, user feeder link communication, communication service process and inter-satellite laser communication.

The stable two-way communication between Xingyun-2 01 and 02 with complete chain construction procedures was a breakthrough in inter-satellite laser communication in China's satellite-based IoT field.

Constructed and operated by China Space Sanjiang Group Co., Ltd. a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, the Xingyun project includes three stages – α, β and γ – and is scheduled to complete a space-based IoT constellation consisting of 80 low-orbit communication satellites around 2023.

The constellation is expected to improve coverage of communication dead zones.

The second phase of the project is now in smooth progress.

Centered on global coverage, long communication distance, large communication capacity, outstanding real-time performance, high reliability and good safety performance, the company has independently developed three types of communication modules and four types of supportive antennas.

It has also cooperated with domestic enterprises in the industry and developed nearly 20 industrial application terminators which have carried out pilot and demonstrative missions in various fields like scientific research on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, geological disaster and forestry monitoring, weather broadcasts, shipping supervision and management, and container monitoring and management of the China-Europe freight train service.

(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)