Science, nature, astronomy – Bilibili, the YouTube of China, hopes to inspire Chinese youth’s interest in them via satellite launch, National Geographic deal
- The satellite will orbit the earth 15 times a day, and viewers will have a say in what it films; the footage will be used to make educational films
- Through satellite launch and streaming of National Geographic documentaries, Bilibili hopes to interest young users in astronomy, science, and nature’s wonders
Bilibili, China’s answer to YouTube, will launch a satellite this month in an effort to lure more young viewers to the popular online video sharing and entertainment platform.
A collaboration with Chang Guang Satellite Technology, a company based in Jilin, northeast China that built the satellite, the multimillion-yuan project will collect images and videos of the earth and other celestial bodies for posting on a new online channel.
“Captured images and videos will be used to produce programmes on general science and astronomy education. Such education programmes are very popular among our young users,” a Bilibili spokesman said.
Equipped with two high-performance cameras, the satellite will be stationed 500 kilometres above the earth’s atmosphere and will orbit the planet 15 times a day. Viewers will have a say on what kind of footage the satellite captures, the spokesman said.
Set up in 2014 with 1.3 billion yuan (US$183 million) in investment from the Jilin provincial government, Chang Guang launched its first satellite, called Jilin-1, in 2015. The information it captures is used for wetland and wild animal conservation, controlling forest fires and preventing desertification. The Bilibili satellite is undergoing tests at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Inner Mongolia.
The collaboration with Bilibili is primarily educational. “The satellite will capture wondrous scenes from cities lighting up at night to the aurora borealis,” the company spokesman said.