At 12:00 on June 2, 2022, Beijing time, our country used the Long March II C carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center to successfully launch the Geely Constellation 01 group of satellites into the air, 9 satellites successfully entered the predetermined orbit, and the launch mission was a complete success.
This mission is the second commercial space launch mission of the Xichang launch site this year, successfully assisting Geely Satellite to enter space for the first time. It officially opened the prelude to the high-density launch of the Xichang launch site this year. The rhythm of an average of 2 missions per month will continue until the end of the year, and the annual mission has entered a comprehensive period. As the last launch before the Dragon Boat Festival, Xichang astronauts used their success to offer their blessings for the Dragon Boat Festival.
The Long March 2C rocket that carried out this mission
The satellite launched this time was independently developed by Zhejiang Time and Space Daoyu Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Time and Space Daoyu Company"), a subsidiary of Geely Technology Group. It is mass-produced through the deep integration of aerospace manufacturing and automobile manufacturing technology implementation. The design life is 5 years. The satellite manufacturing efficiency and system reliability have reached the industry-leading level. The satellite is mainly used for the research and verification of related technologies such as future travel services for smart connected cars, car-machine/mobile phone satellite interaction, etc., to support relevant marine environmental protection public welfare actions.
This is the first time that our country’s commercial aerospace company has successfully launched a mass-produced commercial satellite at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the form of "nine satellites with one arrow".
The Long March II C carrier rocket used in this launch was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (hereinafter referred to as the "Rocket Institute") under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. It is the Long March II C rocket that once again won the sky after 13 days, and it is also its fourth space launch in 2022.
This mission is the 422nd flight of the Long March series of carrier rockets.
Xichang Satellite Launch Center
ChangdiC sets a new record for multiple stars with one arrow
The Long March II C rocket successfully made its maiden flight in September 1982 and was awarded the "Gold Medal of High-quality Long March II C carrier rocket" by the then China Aerospace Industry Corporation in 1998. It was the first "Gold Medal rocket" in our country. The rocket is famous for its reliable quality and strong adaptability. It can be launched from three launch sites in Taiyuan, Jiuquan and Xichang.
According to Xing Jianwei, deputy director of the overall design of the rocket model of the Rocket Institute, the number of satellites launched by the Long Second C rocket in a single mission set a new record.
Previously, in October 2018, the Long Two C rocket launched a Sino-French ocean satellite and seven small satellites; in March 2022, the Long Two C rocket launched six communications satellites and one small satellite. The launch of the Long-2C rocket completed the deployment of all 9 satellites in an orbital plane. More importantly, the Long-2C rocket is in the stage of parallel design of multiple new missions, parallel propulsion of multiple launch sites, and parallel production of multiple product lines. The model team always takes "an unbearable sense of urgency, a sense of crisis, a sense of responsibility, and a sense of mission that cannot be stopped" as the purpose of action, ensuring quality and launching on time, demonstrating the excellent economy of the Long-2C rocket, its profound technical heritage and reliable performance capabilities.
Under the current severe and complex epidemic situation, the ultra-high density launch of three parallel launches and four simultaneous work has brought tremendous pressure and challenges to the model team. The rocket development team closely focused on the theme of "ensuring success". Through advance planning, holding front and rear video conferences, personnel concurrent posts, etc., and in-depth implementation of the post integration system and other measures, the launch site personnel were scientifically and rationally allocated under the condition of "difficult entry", and at most one person and four posts were highly integrated. Finally, the mission was successfully completed.
Schematic diagram of 9 satellites in Geely Constellation 01 group
The Xichang launch site kicked off this year’s high-density launch
It is understood that this mission is the second commercial space launch mission of the Xichang launch site this year, officially kicking off the high-density launch of the Xichang launch site this year. The rhythm of an average of two missions per month will continue until the end of the year, and the annual mission has entered a comprehensive period.
In recent years, our country’s commercial aerospace industry has continued to grow and develop. In the blue ocean of China’s aerospace industry, there are not only "giant ships" of the "national team", but also many private enterprises competing to rise, forming a new situation of competition.
Back in time, in November 1984, the Xichang Satellite Launch Center officially opened to the outside world, undertaking international commercial satellite launch business, becoming the first space launch center in our country to open to the outside world. From "Long March Rocket + International Commercial Satellite" to "Long March Rocket + my country’s Private Commercial Satellite", since the Xichang Satellite Launch Center first carried out the "Asia No. 1" commercial space launch mission 32 years ago, generations of Xichang astronauts have explored and formed a variety of space commercial service models such as commercial launch, carrying services, whole-satellite export, and "heaven and earth integration". The road of opening up to the outside world is getting wider and wider, helping the country to accelerate the formation of a new pattern of the space industry, and continue to promote the vigorous development of international and domestic commercial space.
Standing in front of the "big red screen" celebrating the success of the mission, Xichang astronauts said one after another: "This successful launch has a significant demonstration effect on commercial applications. In the future, we will comprehensively enhance modern space launch capabilities, strive to build a world-class space launch site, and create more Chinese speed, Chinese altitude, and Chinese miracles."
Schematic diagram of 9 satellites in Geely Constellation 01 group
Geely Automobile builds satellites, China’s commercial aerospace enters the fast lane
The satellite launched this time was independently developed by China’s private commercial aerospace company, Spacetime Daoyu Company, a subsidiary of Geely Technology Group.
According to the company, the nine satellites launched this time leave the factory from the company’s Taizhou Satellite Super Factory. As the first satellite mass production plant in China that deeply integrates aerospace manufacturing and automobile manufacturing capabilities, it can fully learn from the large-scale mass production manufacturing model of the automotive industry such as intelligence and automation, and can provide commercial satellite manufacturing and AIT (final assembly integration and testing) services.
Spacetime Daoyu said that the successful launch of the "Nine Stars in One Arrow" mass-produced satellite into orbit marks that China’s commercial aerospace industry has begun to take shape and will enter the fast lane of industrial development.
Wang Yang, CEO and chief scientist of Spacetime Daoyu, introduced: "Policies, market demand and other favorable factors are driving our country’s commercial aerospace industry from the manufacturing-driven 1.0 era to the application-driven 2.0 era. Spacetime Daoyu has built a future travel constellation to create a’high-precision space-time information system integrated with heaven and earth ‘, focusing on mining user requests, and by providing commercial satellite manufacturing and AIT services, high-precision location-based services integrated with heaven and earth, space-based communication services, and remote sensing AI services, it has successively developed market segments in satellite manufacturing, smart travel, consumer electronics, unmanned systems, smart cities, environmental monitoring and other fields, and has achieved profitability in each market segment."
Space-time Daoyu Company said that relying on the support of Geely’s huge travel ecosystem, its integrated high-precision space-time information service will not only extend to cars, but also establish a rich consumer product chain and characteristic business system with the help of multi-dimensional carriers such as mobile phones, flying cars, drones, and commercial vehicles in the future.
[Reporter] Wang Shikun, Xu Mian
[Photography] Li Xiaomeng
[Correspondent] Huang Guochang, Hu Xujie, Fu Yingli
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