As the first satellite manufactured in Xiong'an New Area of Hebei province awaits liftoff later this year, the emerging "city of the future" is steadily assembling the pieces of a full-fledged aerospace information and satellite ecosystem — from manufacturing, to testing and in-orbit maintenance.
At an automated satellite manufacturing facility operated by Hongqing Technology in Xiong'an, robotic arms move smoothly across the production floor, installing components onto satellite platforms with minimal human intervention.
It was here that the landmark Xiong'an-1, the first "Made-in-Xiong'an" satellite, rolled off the production line in October last year, and is scheduled for launch in the second half of this year.
The satellite integrates multiple advanced technologies that are able to address key challenges in computing power constraints, energy limitations and propulsion efficiency, said its manufacturer.
"Xiong'an-1 is designed to pave the way for large-scale satellite manufacturing and constellation deployment," said Chen Ying, a senior executive at Hongqing Technology. "It will help move technologies from laboratories into real space environments more quickly, while exploring lower-cost pathways for satellite mass production and process optimization."
