(ECNS) -- China has begun deploying its first commercial constellation dedicated to monitoring space debris, a network composed of 120 satellites for all-orbit target detection around the clock.
The first satellite of the Gande Constellation was launched Friday aboard a Lijian-1 commercial rocket from northwest China. Developed by Beijing-based private aerospace company ATmoto Technology, the network is scheduled for full deployment before 2030.
During the first phase, 14 satellites will be jointly built by ATmoto and Liangxi Aerospace Technology Group in Wuxi, east China’s Jiangsu Province. Designed to monitor and catalog objects in low, medium and high orbits, these satellites will strengthen China’s commercial space debris monitoring capabilities.
The developers highlighted that the first satellite is equipped with an onboard artificial intelligence-aided computer, which enables the satellite to flexibly carry out routine surveillance, emergency response and rapid tracking missions, without frequent ground intervention. Featuring orbital transfer capabilities, it will also support close-range observations and other sophisticated in-orbit operations.
Growing space activity has increased the risk posed by orbital debris. More than one million fragments larger than one centimeter are estimated to be circling Earth at speeds of about 7.9 kilometers per second.
(By Intern Lin Qiaochu, Zhang Dongfang)
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