China’s Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center launched the world’s first in-orbit artificial intelligence (AI) commercial hypersatellite on Saturday from waters off the coast of Yangjiang City in south China’s Guangdong Province.
A Smart Dragon-3 (SD-3) carrier rocket blasted off at 11:06 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the launch site, sending a group of nine satellites, including the AI commercial hypersatellite and a distant retrograde orbit (DRO) satellite, into planned orbit.
In addition, the SD-03 sent the Egyptian NExSat-1 satellite into orbit this time as well, marking its first international payload launch.
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-02-03/China-launches-9-satellites-from-sea-including-one-DRO-satellite-1qTeeAlUbSM/img/bff41f61a85949e19b18e362bdbf4b07/bff41f61a85949e19b18e362bdbf4b07.jpeg' alt='China's Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center launched nine satellites from waters near Yangjiang River in south China's Guangdong Province, February 3, 2024. /CMG'
Developed by Guoxing Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. in Chengdu City of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, the AI commercial hypersatellite, named “Rongpiao” or “Xingshidai-18,” is a new integrated sensing network satellite equipped with the company’s sixth generation “satellite brain” system.
The AI satellite is designed to carry out on-orbit verification of the synaesthesia fusion AI algorithm once entering the orbit, and will have remote integrated platform capability for future communication networks.
<img src='https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-02-03/China-launches-9-satellites-from-sea-including-one-DRO-satellite-1qTeeAlUbSM/img/7fea735658834c649a88b6359b57ba4e/7fea735658834c649a88b6359b57ba4e.jpeg' alt='A view of China's AI commercial hypersatellite, named "Rongpiao" or "Xingshidai-18," from waters near Yangjiang River in south China's Guangdong Province, February 3, 2024. /Science and Technology Daily'
The mission was the third flight of the SD-03 carrier rocket.
