China makes headway in race for space technology domination
Satellite communications technology is the crown jewel of China’s high-tech development, and it has played a vital role in connecting the country with the rest of the world.
A team of about 500 engineers from the China Academy of Space Technology, with an average age of just 33, forms the backbone of design, research and application for China’s satellite communications technology, which is used in commercial and mobile communications, broadcast and data transfer, among many other things.
The team, which was established in 2000 for innovation purposes and is headed by Zhou Zhicheng, has overcome the dominance of overlite orbits. The difficulty had it the most powerful commucation institutes and 214 seas technologies and prompted Chinese experts to nications satellite the nation agriculture infrastructures developed the Dong Fang debate over whether to use has developed. within two years, according Hong 4 large-scale communithe technology when the Since May 2007, 19 satelto the academy. cations satellite platform in a team was developing a new lites using the DFH 4 platIt is expected to lead to the little more than six years. model of the DFH 4 satellite form have been successfully construction of 16,000
The DFH 4 platform platform. But Zhou insisted launched, leading to the ground stations in 10 years A 62-year-old woman in Weimarked several breakthat the technology, though academy’s team winning and benefit 8 million people hai has to stand on a table throughs — it broke the controversial, could greatly awards, including the First in Venezuela. when she combs her hair, 15-year operational life limit reduce fuel loads and Class National Science and Another communications which is more than 3 meters and the 5-metric-ton mass increase communication Technology Progress Award satellite delivered for Bolivia long. It takes Gao Junying, milestone, and was nearly 20 capacity. — one of China’s most preshas brought annual income who has not cut her hair for 29 times more powerful than the “An advanced communicatigious science awards. of more than $25 million to years, more than two hours to previous model, according to tions satellite must use this The DFH 4 communicathe country through the leasdry her hair after she washes the academy. technology,” he said. tions satellite platform has ing of transponders, and is it. Gao said she once rejected “It changed everything, The team managed to overalso received global recogniexpected to earn more than $3,000 from a businessman meaning China’s radio and come technological issues tion, and its in-orbit stability $500 million during its lifewishing to purchase her hair. TV broadcasting sector no and first tested the system on is on a par with US and Eurotime, according to the acadeQ I LU E V E N I N G N E my.longerreliedonimportedsat-Shijian13,thefirstChinese-peansatellites,accordingtoWS ellites,” a spokesperson with made high-throughput satelthe academy spokesperson. satellite made for Laos the academy said. lite, which was launched on The team has placed seven has brought dozens of TV
One of the team’s technoApril 12. commercial communications channels around the world to logical breakthroughs is its With the technology, the satellites in orbit for counits population of 7 million, it electric propulsion technoloShijian 13 satellite is capable tries including Nigeria, Vensaid. In the 13th Five-Year gy — an extremely complex of transmitting 20 gigabytes ezuela, Pakistan, Laos and Plan (2016-20) period, the piece of technology. of data per second, exceeding Belarus. team will participate in the
In the United States’ bid to the total capacity of all of the A communications satellite launch of 25 satellites and be achieve such technology, it country’s previous communimade for Venezuela has coninvolved in the research of 50 experienced four failed satel- cations satellites and making nected more than 1,700 edu- satellites, the academy added. A wedding ceremony in Zhengzhou involving 50 shared bicycles drew wide public attention. The couple getting married, who are university classmates, agreed to have an economical wedding celebration. They thought about using cars, but after learning that it would cost around 5,000 yuan ($725), they dropped the idea and chose to use shared bikes, which would cost no more than 50 yuan.
DA H E DA I LY
YA N G T Z E E V E N I N G N E W S
M N W.C N
C H E N G D U B U S I N E S S DA I LY
C E .C N
H U A S H A N G DA I LY
H U A S H A N G DA I LY