On June 3, the Japanese Economic News reported that Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, a Chinese private auto giant, announced on the 2nd that it had successfully launched 9 satellites of constellation 01. In addition to building a high-precision navigation system connecting space and ground vehicles, the satellites launched this time will also be used in the fields of autopilot, UAV and logistics. Geely plans to launch a total of 72 satellites by the end of 2025, covering China and the entire Asia Pacific region.
The 9 satellites in the 01 group of "Geely future travel constellation" launched this time were developed by Zhejiang spacetime Daoyu Technology Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Geely technology group, and launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province, Southwest China. It is reported that the ground station has been connected to 9 satellites, and its operation is confirmed to be normal.
On June 2, at China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center, 9 satellites of group 01 of Geely constellation were successfully launched aboard the Long March 2C carrier rocket. (photographed by lixiaomeng)
These satellites will operate in low orbit. By providing centimeter level high-precision position information, vehicles using Geely's automatic driving technology will realize autonomous driving.
Satellites can also transmit information beyond the location to provide data support for UAVs and efficient logistics systems.
According to the plan, the service scope of these satellites will cover China and the Asia Pacific region by the end of 2025, and the global data application service will be provided in 2026.
American enterprises, including Elon Musk's space exploration technology company, are one step ahead in the field of space commercialization and are also accelerating the pace of cooperation with the automotive industry. Geely announced to enter the field of artificial satellites in 2020. In 2021, Geely's Taizhou plant with an annual output of 500 satellites will be put into operation.
Reuters reported on June 2 that China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group successfully launched its first satellite today, sending nine satellites into low earth orbit. The company is building a satellite network to provide more accurate navigation services for autonomous vehicles.
The first orbit of "Geely future travel constellation" is independently designed and manufactured. Geely said that it is expected that 63 satellites will enter orbit by 2025, and the constellation will eventually consist of 240 satellites.
After the satellite launch, Geely became the second large automobile manufacturer with joint space business. The "star chain" network of the space exploration technology company under Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has more than 2000 satellites in orbit, which provides commercial Internet services. According to the plan, the first generation network of "star chain" includes 4408 satellites.
Unlike the space exploration technology company, which uses its own rocket to launch satellites, Geely uses the Long March 2C carrier rocket developed and operated by a Chinese state-owned entity to launch these nine satellites.
Geely said that in addition to providing high-precision positioning support for autonomous vehicle, the company's network will also play other commercial functions, such as providing communication services for large-scale events.
The company also said that these satellites have a design life of five years and will eventually disintegrate in the earth's atmosphere without leaving any space debris.