China releases new-generation spacecraft OS

China has released SpaceOS III, a new-generation operating system for spacecraft.

Developed by the Beijing Institute of Control Engineering under China Academy of Space Technology, the operating system has independent intellectual property rights. Earlier versions of SpaceOS have been used in more than 300 spacecraft.

According to SpaceOS developers, the system boasts outstanding reliability and security. It can meet the different requirements of crewed spaceflight, satellite communication, deep space exploration, and satellite constellation.

The Beijing Institute of Control Engineering began developing SpaceOS in the 1970s. Its first application was in 2006 in a satellite of the Dongfanghong-4 communication satellite platform. In 2013, SpaceOS II was used in the Chang'e-3 lunar probe.