Lift-off for Lingxi-03: China tests ultra-thin flexible solar wing for satellite network to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink
- The Lingxi-03 and its bendable solar panels are developed by the Beijing-based start-up GalaxySpace
- The communications satellite has an open-frame design with all instruments attached to the exterior and exposed to harsh space environment
The Lingxi-03’s bendable solar panel measures about 1mm thick – similar to a credit card and only 5 per cent of the thickness of a traditional solar panel – according to state broadcaster CCTV. When folded inside a rocket, the solar array is 5cm (2 inches) thick, and it expands to 9 metres long and 2.5 metres wide (29.5 feet by 8.2 feet) once operational in orbit.
01:21
SpaceX and Indonesia launch satellite to boost high-speed internet coverage in the country
“These solar wings are small, lightweight and easy to store. They absorb more solar energy than traditional solar panels do and are especially suitable for large-scale stackable satellite launches,” Zhu Zhengxian, chief technology officer of GalaxySpace, told China Science Daily on Tuesday.
The Lingxi-03 is also China’s first satellite with an integrated main body structure, according to Zhu. He said the satellite platform was inspired by the chassis of a car and used advanced die-cast technologies, making it suited to mass production.
The Lingxi-03 is equipped with a digital payload that can handle tens of gigabytes of data per second, and will verify technologies related to next-generation low-orbit broadband communications, active thermal control and stackable satellite release, among others, the satellite’s chief commander Hu Zhao told CCTV.
“It synthesises many functions of a ground-based station and can analyse an enormous amount of user information,” Hu said.
US risks falling behind China in rapid satellite launches: report
The Lingxi-03 has an open-frame design, which means all instruments are directly attached to the exterior of the satellite and exposed to the harsh space environment. This required extraordinary radiation protection and temperature control for the electronics on the device, Hu said.
GalaxySpace was founded in 2018 as the first company dedicated to satellite-based internet services in China. The company reportedly raised funding that put its value at US$1.58 billion in September.
In March 2022, GalaxySpace launched six communications satellites into low-Earth orbit for an experimental network nicknamed the “mini-spider constellation” and carried out successful 5G network tests.
01:44
China has built 6 times the number of 5G towers in 3 months than the US has installed in 2 years
Zhu said the company would accelerate research into core technologies such as phased array antennas for direct satellite-to-device communications, and collaborate with partners along the industrial chain to help advance construction of the national constellation known as Guowang.
Later this year, China will launch the first batch of its Guowang satellites, SpaceNews reported in March.
Chinese scientists developing AI algorithms to dodge space junk
The number of Starlink satellites is likely to reach 42,000 within 10 years. Together with megaconstellation plans proposed by China and various Western companies, the total number of satellites may easily surpass 60,000, making low-Earth orbit much more crowded and potentially more dangerous.
The launch on Sunday also included three remote sensing satellites: Skysight AS-01, AS-02, and AS-03. All three are owned by the Beijing-based Skysight Technology, as part of the company’s commercial constellation to observe Earth in the radar, optical and infrared wavebands.
