The Development and Significance of Low-Earth Orbit Satellite Communication in China
TapTechNews August 21st news, with the explosion of low-earth orbit satellite communication, many related constellation plans have been implemented in China. For example, the first batch of networking satellites (Qianfan Polar Orbit 01 Group) of China's G60 Satellite Chain Qianfan Constellation was successfully launched into orbit in the form of one arrow with 18 satellites on August 6th.
Before that, on July 23rd, 2023, Galaxy Aerospace successfully launched Lingxi 03 Star, which is the first satellite in China to use a flexible solar wing. It has orbited more than 5580 laps in the past year and conducted more than 300 communication technology tests and verifications, providing technical support for the future rapid deployment of China's low-earth orbit giant communication constellation.
Science and Technology Daily stated that Galaxy Aerospace has completed the batch production of the first batch of space-borne millimeter-wave AiP tile-shaped multi-beam phased array antennas in China.
TapTechNews note: The multi-beam phased array antenna is a kind of multi-beam antenna that uses a beamforming network to simultaneously achieve multiple independent high-gain beams. It has the advantages of high flexibility and wide-angle scanning. The space-borne multi-beam phased array antenna can use the beamforming network to simultaneously achieve multiple independent high-gain beams and is one of the core loads of the low-earth orbit satellite constellation.
The multi-beam phased array antenna can use the beamforming network to simultaneously achieve multiple independent high-gain beams. It is one of the core loads of the low-earth orbit satellite constellation. It has the advantages of high flexibility, wide scanning angle range, and high reliability. It can not only meet the urgent needs such as wide-area coverage, broadband transmission, but also realize random access and multi-point communication.
AiP (Antenna In Package) technology is a technology that integrates the antenna and the chip in the package based on packaging materials and processes to realize the wireless function at the system level. It can make the antenna achieve low transmission loss, high radiation efficiency, and high integration degree, and reduce costs through modularization and large-scale production, taking into account antenna performance, cost, and volume.
Zhu Zhengxian, the co-founder and chief technology officer of Galaxy Aerospace, said that as the cost of the tile-shaped multi-beam phased array antenna is greatly reduced and the development cycle is shortened, the production capacity of high-performance satellites will be guaranteed, which is conducive to promoting the rapid construction and deployment of China's low-earth orbit satellite Internet constellation and accelerating the support for the communication needs of low-earth orbit broadband satellite Internet such as direct connection of mobile phones to satellites.
He said that after adopting the AiP process, the weight of the tile-shaped multi-beam phased array antenna is reduced by 50%, and the structural profile is reduced to 30% of the original, which can be more flexibly loaded on the satellite. In the future, Galaxy Aerospace will continue to realize the double optimization of the performance and cost of this antenna through system iteration and the application of new technologies.