China's Earth-moon space constellation pioneers multidisciplinary research

China has established the world's first three-satellite constellation based on the Distant Retrograde Orbit (DRO) in Earth-moon space, paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in scientific research and space exploration across multiple fields.

The Earth-moon space, spanning up to 2 million kilometers from Earth, serves as a strategic zone for lunar resource development and deep-space exploration. China's efforts in this area began in 2017 with preliminary research and technological advancements, culminating in the successful launch and networking of three satellites in 2024, including DRO-A and DRO-B entering the DRO.

"DRO is one of the most stable types of orbits in Earth-moon space. Its stability makes it an ideal 'laboratory' or 'lighthouse' in space, allowing satellites to remain in position for extended periods," said Zhang Hao, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' (CAS) Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization.

Currently, the constellation has achieved several breakthroughs, including a low-energy transfer to DRO using only one-fifth of the fuel required by traditional methods.

"These satellites can help these spacecraft accurately determine their positions in the vast ocean of the Earth-moon space. This way, they can better carry out their missions," said Mao Xinyuan, an associate researcher at the center.

It has also established the world's first 1.17 million-kilometer K-band inter-satellite microwave measurement and communication link.

Additionally, the satellites have validated a new satellite-tracking-satellite orbit determination system, reducing the cost of orbit determination for spacecraft in Earth-moon space.

Wang Wenbin, a researcher at the center, highlighted the significance of these achievements.

"This is the first time we have used satellite-to-satellite tracking instead of ground-based tracking. It transforms traditional ground stations into low-orbit satellites, providing a new technical pathway for future Earth-moon and deep-space exploration. This will support various orbit determination, navigation, and timing needs in Earth-moon space and offer efficient solutions for large-scale commercial activities in Earth-moon space in the future for our country," said Wang.

China's Earth-moon space constellation pioneers multidisciplinary research

China aims to achieve secure and reliable supply of key core artificial intelligence (AI) technologies by 2027, with its industrial scale and empowerment level remaining among the world's forefront, according to a recent government action plan.

The plan, jointly issued by eight departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Cyberspace Administration of China, and the National Development and Reform Commission, outlines an ambitious push to deeply integrate AI with the manufacturing sector, foster new quality productive forces and comprehensively empower new industrialization. By 2027, the plan targets the deep application of three to five general-purpose large AI models in manufacturing, the development of specialized, full-coverage industry-specific large models, the creation of 100 high-quality industrial datasets, and the promotion of 500 typical application scenarios.

It also aims to cultivate two to three globally influential ecosystem-leading enterprises, a batch of specialized and sophisticated small and medium-sized enterprises, and a group of enabling service providers proficient in both AI technology and industry know-how.

Furthermore, China plans to build a world-leading open-source ecosystem, enhance security governance capabilities, and contribute Chinese solutions to global AI development.

The document outlines measures including promoting the coordinated development of AI chips' hardware and software, supporting innovations in model training and inference methods, fostering key industry-specific large models, and deeply embedding large model technology into core production processes.

The plan also emphasizes making breakthroughs in key technologies such as security protection for industrial model algorithms and training data protection.

China aims for secure, reliable supply of AI core tech by 2027