China Tests Three Satellites to Prepare AI Computing Network in Space

The Lijian-1 Y15 rocket launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The rocket carried three test satellites to prepare a space-based AI computing network. Photo: Yicai Global.

China has launched three experimental satellites to test artificial intelligence computing technology in space. The operation data of the three in orbit will be the basis for the construction of a large-scale space-based AI computing network.

Yicai Global, quoted on Friday, July 24, said the three satellites were flown along with two other satellites using the Lijian-1 Y15 rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, northwest China, on July 24.

The launch was the 15th mission of Lijian-1 since July 2022. The rocket made by CAS Space Technology has brought 110 satellites into orbit with a total payload of more than 16 tons.

Lijian-1 is said to be the only Chinese civilian commercial rocket that has sent more than 100 satellites into space.

Head of the Lijian-1 Designer Shi Xiaoning said China's commercial space industry is entering a phase of large-scale launches driven by market demand.

The demand is growing from satellite internet services, commercial remote sensing, and space-based computing.

CAS Space, which was established in 2018, offers various launch schemes. The options include special missions, sharing launches with other customer payloads, and joint use of rocket capacity.

According to Shi, the scheme allows customers to send cargo to orbit more efficiently as launch operations become more routine.

The three experimental satellites launched are Jitian Star A-04, Chengguang-1, and Gande-1 01. Each carries a different task, ranging from AI data processing to space debris monitoring.

Jitian Star A-04 is said to be China's first embodied AI satellite. Embodied AI is artificial intelligence that works and interacts with the environment through physical devices.

The satellite will test AI operating systems in orbit, the ability of Chinese-made GPUs to work in the space environment, the inference of large models independently, and the ability to manage satellites automatically.

Inference is a process when an AI model processes data to produce decisions or predictions.

Jitian Star A-04 is equipped with a domestic GPU-based computing device, satellite router, and laser communication device.

The satellite is designed to run direct computing in orbit, build high-speed connections between space and Earth, and monitor the condition of its own devices.

The system can also plan tasks, generate commands, and process data in orbit autonomously.

The testing is aimed at collecting technical data for the development of a space-based computing constellation. A constellation is a group of satellites that work as one network.

Chengguang-1 will test the computing infrastructure in outer space. This satellite will test the performance of servers, computing platforms, and temperature control systems in extreme conditions in space.

The results will be the technical basis for building a stable and expandable space-based computing center network.

Meanwhile, Gande-1 01 is tasked with testing the ability to recognize very small space debris.

The satellite will try to recognize and sort objects, calculate trajectories, and automatically compile a debris catalog.

This ability is needed to keep the operation of the satellite constellation in low Earth orbit safe and stable.