Tag: China
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China Sets 2030 Targets for Next-Generation Communications and Low-Earth-Orbit Satellite Internet
China will accelerate construction of low-Earth-orbit satellite internet systems and integrate satellite networks more closely with terrestrial communications infrastructure under its 15th Five-Year Plan, including the development of direct-to-device satellite services and satellite Internet of Things applications. The space-based network will form part of a wider program to establish a high-performance national communications system by…
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Space Epoch Raises $343 Million to Fund Reusable Yuanxingzhe-1 Rocket
Chinese commercial launch company Space Epoch has completed a Series B++ financing round, bringing its total funding raised over the past six months to more than 2.3 billion yuan, or approximately $343 million. The capital will support the first orbital flight of its reusable Yuanxingzhe-1 methane-fueled rocket, first-stage recovery testing and the development of commercial…
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China Launches Satellite Internet LEO Group 26 on Long March 8A (Video)
China launched its 26th group of low-Earth-orbit satellite internet spacecraft aboard a Long March 8A rocket at 9:32 p.m. Beijing time on September 23, 2026. The rocket lifted off from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site and successfully placed the satellites into their designated orbit, continuing the country’s accelerated deployment of space-based broadband infrastructure. The…
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Can SAR Map Floods Without Manual Labels or Threshold Tuning?
In brief: Conventional SAR-based flood mapping often runs into two obstacles: thresholds must be adjusted repeatedly by hand, while supervised learning requires large volumes of labeled data. This paper proposes Felz-CNN, also known as the adaptive unsupervised Felz-CNN segment system (AUFCS). The method first uses Felzenszwalb superpixels to divide a SAR image into many internally…
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China Launches Four Rockets in 45 Hours as Broadband Constellation Deployment Accelerates
China completed four orbital launches with four different rockets in just over 44 hours between September 15 and 17, 2026, deploying satellites from Jiuquan, an offshore platform east of Shanghai, and the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site. The sequence involved two commercially developed launch vehicles and two rockets operated by state-owned groups, highlighting the growing…
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Successful Launch Does Not Mean Delivery Is Complete: Key Stages of In-Orbit Satellite Delivery
On September 13, during the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), Beijing Kaiyun United Information Technology Group Co., Ltd. (“Kaiyun Group”), PICC Property and Casualty Company Limited Zhejiang Branch, Beijing Hangbiao Times Testing and Certification Co., Ltd., and Sipai (Beijing) Insurance Brokerage Co., Ltd. signed a strategic cooperation agreement to develop commercial…
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China Launches Nine Satellites on Kinetica 1, Including Orbital AI and 5G Testbeds
China launched nine satellites aboard a Kinetica 1 Y18 rocket from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone at 12:03 p.m. Beijing Time on September 20, 2026. The satellites entered their planned orbits, marking the 16th flight of the Kinetica 1 launch vehicle. The mission carried the Qinling-01 and Qinling-02 satellites, Pujiang-4, PEGA-SUS1, Diting-01 Group…
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China Advances Tianwen-3 Mars Sample Return Mission Into Prototype Development
China’s Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission has entered prototype development, with two Long March 5 launches planned for late 2028 or early 2029 and the return of approximately 500 grams of Martian material targeted for around 2031. If successful, Tianwen-3 could become the first mission to deliver samples from Mars to Earth, while supporting China’s…
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China Launches Four PIESAT-2 Radar Satellites With Onboard Data Processing
China launched four PIESAT-2 synthetic aperture radar satellites on September 19, expanding a commercial Earth-observation constellation designed for high-resolution, all-weather monitoring. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 6:50 p.m. Beijing Time and placed the PIESAT-2 13–16 satellites into their planned orbits. The four satellites belong to Zhuzhou…
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Fifth International Summit on Large-Scale Beidou Applications Highlights Everyday Uses and Global Cooperation
The fifth International Summit on Large-Scale Beidou Applications concluded Sept. 16 in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, after two days of demonstrations spanning consumer devices, drone operations and overseas projects. Organizers unveiled 51 products, technologies and application solutions, while 41 industry and research cooperation projects involving a total planned investment of 5.54 billion yuan were signed. The…