China's Lijiang remote sensing satellite ground station -- one of China's space-ground information ports -- was officially put into use on Friday in southwest China's Yunnan Province.
The satellite data reception station, a key component of the nation's remote sensing satellite ground station network, was constructed by the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and marks a significant milestone in China's space observation capabilities.
Located at an altitude of 2,827 meters, the Lijiang station benefits from its high-altitude position, minimal surrounding mountain obstruction, and excellent electromagnetic environment.These factors contribute to its superior geographical advantage for satellite data reception. Since its trial operation began in March 2023, the station has already demonstrated its crucial role in China's space observation network. It has successfully undertaken data reception tasks for 26 national satellites, including those from the ZY series, the Huanjing series, and the Gaofen series.
The station is equipped with four satellite antenna reception systems, boasting a maximum downlink data rate of 2,000 megabits per second.
This advanced infrastructure enables almost real-time data transmission capabilities, with key technical indicators meeting international advanced standards.
The Lijiang ground station effectively fills the gap in real-time reception of satellites orbiting below 500 kilometers in China's southwestern region. In the event of major natural disasters, it can provide urgently-needed spatial data support with high efficiency, meeting the high-timeliness application needs for disaster reduction and prevention.
In recent years, China's rapid development of the space industry has significantly increased demand for satellite data reception.
China's remote sensing satellite ground stations play an important role in advancing scientific research and supporting industrial applications.
Over three decades, China has built an operational system of remote sensing satellite ground stations.
Headquartered in Beijing, this network includes five ground stations in Miyun in suburban Beijing; Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region; Sanya on south China's island province of Hainan; Lijiang in southwest China's Yunnan Province; and Mohe, China's northernmost city.
China launches new ground station to enhance satellite data reception
