Port to deep space: China's ‘hopeless' satellites create first Earth-moon nav-com network
The world's first satellite constellation in Earth-moon space is up and running, after a team of young Chinese engineers recovered two of the spacecraft that had been stranded in the wrong orbit for months following a
launch mishap last year.
Advertisement
The constellation of three satellites operating in 'cislunar' space forms a highly efficient communication and navigation network stretching from low Earth orbit to distant retrograde orbit (DRO), a region 310,000km to 450,000km (192,600-280,000 miles) from Earth, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
That area is often seen as a potential staging point for missions to the moon, Mars and beyond.
Among the mission's technical firsts was a record-setting 1.17 million km space-to-space communication link between satellites, showing that a network could stay connected reliably across the vast distance between Earth and the moon, CCTV said on Tuesday.
11:05
Space race elevates Asia in new world order
Space race elevates Asia in new world order
'For the first time, we've showed that satellites can track each other instead of relying on ground stations,' said Wang Wenbin, a researcher at the Centre for Space Applications Engineering and Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the lead institute on the project.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asia Times
9 hours ago
- Asia Times
China cracks a code on invisible battlefield surveillance
This month, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Chinese radar scientists have demonstrated a breakthrough system enabling aircraft to detect moving ground targets with high clarity while remaining completely radio-silent. Led by Li Zhongyu of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, the team used two Cessna 208 planes in formation, with one actively transmitting radar signals and the other passively receiving echoes, to test their 'space-time decoupling two-channel clutter cancellation method.' As reported in the Journal of Radars, the test tracked three vehicles across terrain previously inaccessible to traditional radar due to clutter, range migration and Doppler noise. Through advanced motion correction, spectrum compression and a novel matrix-based clutter suppression technique, the system isolated targets with over 20 decibels more clarity than current technologies. The passive aircraft never transmitted signals, making it nearly impossible to detect or jam, ideal for low-probability-of-intercept (LPI) missions, according to the Journal of Radars report. Instead of relying on artificial intelligence, the method utilizes efficient mathematical models specifically designed for real-world applications. The development could allow Chinese aircraft and missiles to silently scan battlefields, oceans or skies, identifying mobile threats without alerting adversaries. Li called the system a world first, positioning China at the cutting edge of stealth radar capabilities amid growing global electronic warfare competition. Explaining the complementary nature of passive and active radars, Eric Hundman mentions in a March 2025 report for the China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI) that passive radars can often detect stealth aircraft, as they're hard for anti-radiation weapons to target because they emit no signals. However, Hundman says the applications of passive radar remain relatively limited due to its reliance on unpredictable external signals, narrow usable frequencies and relatively unsophisticated processing algorithms. As for active radars, Hundman says they offer high-resolution, multi-function capabilities, combining stealth detection, surveillance, tracking and fire control in increasingly mobile and networked platforms. However, he points out that since active radars emit signals, they are vulnerable to detection by passive sensors and anti-radiation missiles. In view of each system's limitations, Hundman states that Chinese researchers are working to complement active radars with passive systems and pursue network integration, aiming to fuse data across platforms for a more resilient and comprehensive radar network capable of withstanding electronic and kinetic threats. Discussing the potential operational application of the technology, the US Department of Defense's (DOD) 2024 China Military Power Report (CMPR) states that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) continues to make progress in the development and integration of unmanned systems, including drone swarm tactics and manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) concepts. According to the report, these efforts include employing drones for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), as well as electronic warfare, decoys and potentially precision strike missions in coordination with stealth aircraft. In an April 2025 report for the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), Travis Sharp highlights the strategic pairing of manned stealth fighters and collaborative combat aircraft (CCAs), emphasizing their complementary roles in air dominance. Sharp says CCAs, acting as loyal wingmen, would use active radar to detect and track enemy aircraft, transmitting targeting data to stealth fighters that remain electronically silent to avoid detection. He notes that this setup enhances survivability while extending the fighter's engagement range, allowing long-range missile strikes before the enemy is aware. Sharp adds that CCAs can also jam enemy radars, further complicating adversary targeting efforts. He points out that such tactics are key to improving loss-exchange ratios in potential conflicts, including in the Taiwan Strait between the US and China. The advent of China's purportedly sixth-generation fighters adds impetus to the development of such technology. Malcolm Davis mentions in an SCMP article this month that China's J-36, which appears to be optimized for air-to-air combat with very long-range missiles, could achieve advanced stealth and teaming with collaborative combat aircraft (CCA). Further, Timothy Heath mentions in the same article that sixth-generation fighters are unlikely to be involved in maneuvering dogfights but instead focus on command and control, enabling unmanned aircraft to conduct strikes against air, marine and ground targets. Ditching manned fighters altogether, the SCMP reported in May 2025 that China's Jiu Tan drone carrier, a super-high-altitude, long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), could carry up to 100 kamikaze drones or six tons of ammunition with a maximum range of 7,000 kilometers and an altitude of 15,000 meters. SCMP notes that, if deployed, the Jiu Tan could contribute to the PLA's swarming capabilities, wherein large groups of drones are released to overwhelm an adversary's defenses. Stacie Pettyjohn and other writers mention in a June 2024 report for the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) that China could utilize its diverse drone fleet, ranging from kamikaze to reconnaissance and loyal wingman-type systems, to saturate air defenses, rapidly close kill chains, and complicate Taiwan and US countermeasures in a conflict over the island. Pettyjohn and others say that China holds an initial advantage due to its large, inexpensive and varied drone arsenal, which could be used to locate and strike US and Taiwanese forces with speed and scale. They also warn that drone mass and rapid adaptation, not just innovation, is critical, citing Ukraine as a cautionary example, with China's production capacity giving it a dangerous edge in the opening phases of a Taiwan war. As for the US's capability to counter drone swarms, Wilson Beaver and Ka'Von Johnson mention in a Heritage Foundation report this month that the US faces growing challenges in countering drone swarms due to fragmented capabilities, underdeveloped training and an overreliance on costly systems. Beaver and Johnson say that while kinetic interceptors and electronic warfare tools offer layered defenses, gaps persist in small-drone detection, real-time threat identification and swarm neutralization. They point out that directed-energy weapons, such as lasers and high-powered microwaves (HPMs), remain impractical due to issues with range, power and target discrimination. In addition, they say most counter-drone systems are not widely fielded, few troops are trained to operate them and base commanders often lack the authority to engage drones, compounding vulnerabilities. While the US races to patch gaps in drone defenses, China is methodically assembling a sensor-strike network designed to operate silently, resiliently and at scale.
South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Chinese academy launches automated system to speed up chip design amid US software curbs
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the nation's premier science institution, has unveiled a chip design system driven by artificial intelligence (AI) that has the potential to significantly accelerate semiconductor development and replace human programmers. Developed by the State Key Laboratory of Processor and the Intelligent Software Research Centre, both under CAS, and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the fully automated integrated circuit design system is called QiMeng, which means 'enlightenment' in Chinese. The system uses large language models – the technology underpinning advanced AI chatbots. Details were published in a research paper last week and open-sourced on GitHub. According to the developers, chips designed by QiMeng match the performance and efficiency of those created by human experts. A customised autonomous-driving chip, for example, which might take weeks for a team of human developers to create could be accomplished by QiMeng in just days, according to the team. An overview of the automated chip design system QiMeng. Photo: Handout The unveiling of QiMeng comes as the US has pressured leading electronic design automation (EDA) software suppliers to halt sales of chip design tools to China , further complicating Beijing's goal to strengthen its semiconductor industry. QiMeng comprises three interconnected layers: at the base is a domain-specific large processor chip model; in the middle, a hardware and software design agent; and at the top, various processor chip design applications.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Microplastics from biodegradable material may be linked to diabetes, study finds
Microplastics from a widely used biodegradable material can enter the metabolic cycle of bacteria and cells in the gut after being ingested, a new study has found. Researchers in China and the United States said the microplastics – from polylactic acid – were found to alter the gut metabolism and damage the gut barrier of mice. They said this could potentially contribute to conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes 'This is the first time in the world that microplastics have been found to enter the body's metabolic cycle,' the study's corresponding author Cui Xuejing, an associate researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences' National Centre for Nanoscience and Technology, said on Friday. In their paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on May 5, the team wrote: 'Biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) plastics have been praised as an effective solution to the global pollution caused by petroleum-based plastics. 'Their widespread use in food packaging and disposable tableware has resulted in increased oral exposure to PLA microplastics'.
