The mockup of"Tiansuan Constellation" Photo: Courtesy of Spacety

Chinese private satellite company Spacety and Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) have inked a deal to jointly launch a series of satellites to build an open-source platform that could support the development of 6G network, satellite internet and other technologies.

The project, the Tiansuan Constellation, is a satellite constellation targeting computing software and algorithms. Combining computing software - the core network systems of 5G and 6G, as well as artificial intelligence (AI) - with satellites has become a popular scientific research topic, Fu Yunhao, an employee from Spacety told the Global Times on Tuesday.

The goal in setting up the Tiansuan Constellation is to provide an open-source platform for China and the world to test a variety of scientific and research results in orbit operation and verification, Fu said, noting that the move will support China's satellite construction and the development of 6G.

BUPT's research institute in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, and Spacety signed a cooperation agreement on Sunday.

The first phase of the Tiansuan Constellation consists of six satellites, including two main satellites, two auxiliary satellites and two edge satellites, with the first satellite expected to be launched in May 2022. The constellation will be completed in 2023. 

Fu noted that the Tiansuan Constellation is also a scientific research platform, through which technology or scientific research results are verified or tested for the first time, adding that the project is a relatively groundbreaking platform construction.

With the construction of the Tiansuan Constellation based in Shenzhen, the research will also contribute to the integration of space networks and the intelligent computing industry chain in Shenzhen and broader the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, reports said.

Global Times