A concept picture of space Photo: VCG

A space computing research institute was recently set up in Beijing E-Town aimed at ramping up tech innovation including space-borne computing chips and inter-satellite laser communications, space-based energy and thermal management, integrated space-ground networking, and setting space security standards. 

The institute also plans to establish a full-chain innovation platform covering technology research and development, in-orbit space testing and more, according to a statement that GalaxySpace, a privately-owned space company, sent to the Global Times on Sunday.

The institute was jointly set up by the National Information Technology Application Innovation Park and a number of companies, including BOE Technology Group, GalaxySpace and LandSpace. 

And, the institute will support the creation of a Space Computing Committee led by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), while adopting a "company + alliance" framework to build a complete space-computing industrial ecosystem.

GalaxySpace's satellite smart factory has adopted intelligent assembly robots, digital manufacturing systems and automated testing platforms, significantly enhancing production flexibility and manufacturing efficiency, Zhang Shijie, chief scientist of GalaxySpace, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The factory has established a complete manufacturing chain for satellites weighing between 100 kilograms and 2,000 kilograms, with an annual production of 150 medium-sized satellites, while cutting development cycles by 80 percent compared with traditional models, he said.

"Achieving considerable reductions in satellite costs and advancing satellite manufacturing into a new stage of low-cost, industrial-scale mass production is an important prerequisite for building scalable and commercially viable space computing networks," Zhang said.

In early April, Beijing E-Town, in collaboration with the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology and the CAICT, hosted the inaugural Space Computing Industry Conference, during which the three parties initiated the preparation work for the Beijing Space Computing Innovation Center, unveiled a series of key space-computing technology projects under a challenge-based innovation program, and formed the Space Computing Committee as part of an industry alliance for the country's computing-power development.

According to the institute, multiple experimental satellites will be deployed and networked to support the trial operation of an "integrated space-ground intelligent computing network," which will provide end users with efficient, stable and secure computing services, according to media reports.