Private internet satellite company joins China’s hypersonic race

Researchers test feasibility of providing stable broadband connection to drones and aircraft travelling faster than sound

Six GalaxySpace satellites remained in continuous communication with each other and a fast-moving terminal during early test, they said

Reading Time:4 minutes

The GalaxySpace system is based on a similar architecture to SpaceX’s Starlink, which uses a constellation of satellites to give continuous coverage. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 10:00pm, 22 Apr 2023

A Beijing-based private company plans to provide an internet satellite service for China’s hypersonic flight programme, using technology which it says has passed a promising milestone.

GalaxySpace, which develops satellite communication technologies and services, is one of several privately owned companies to emerge as major players in China’s rapidly developing space industry.

Some space experts said it is “somewhat unusual” for a private business to take part in China’s hypersonic programme, more typically associated with military applications. Others described the move as an important step forward, highlighting the potential for private sector innovation to advance the country’s space capabilities.

Details of an early experiment in low earth orbit (LOE) to test the technology’s feasibility were published last month by the Chinese peer-reviewed journal Space-Integrated-Ground Information Networks.

The researchers, led by the company’s chief scientist Zhang Shijie, said they achieved continuous communication between six GalaxySpace satellites and a fast-moving terminal for about 25 minutes with no interruption in bidirectional data transmission.

The results suggest the technology has the potential “to provide reliable communication services for high mobility aerospace craft in long-range and high dynamic environments, including hypersonic drones or spacecraft travelling at high speeds”.

Private internet satellite company joins China’s hypersonic race

Researchers test feasibility of providing stable broadband connection to drones and aircraft travelling faster than sound Six GalaxySpace satellites remained in continuous communication with each other and a fast-moving terminal during early test, they said

Researchers test feasibility of providing stable broadband connection to drones and aircraft travelling faster than sound

Six GalaxySpace satellites remained in continuous communication with each other and a fast-moving terminal during early test, they said