China’s Geespace successfully conducted its second satellite launch, sending 11 satellites into low Earth orbit to complete the deployment of the second orbital plane of the ambitious Geely Future Mobility Constellation.
The Geely Future Mobility Constellation marks the world’s first commercial effort to combine communication, navigation, and remote sensing within a single satellite network. The first orbital plane’s nine satellites were deployed in June 2022. To date, Geespace has not only started mass production of satellites but has also achieved orbital plane level deployment, attaining constellation-level telemetry, tracking, and command. The company is vigorously engaged in satellite application testing.
With this progress, Geespace enters the global arena of companies like Iridium, Globalstar, Orbcomm, OneWeb, and SpaceX, demonstrating its ability to independently build and manage a commercial satellite constellation. It is also the only entity in China to have completed such comprehensive constellation orbital deployments. A significant achievement for Geespace in 2023 was the initiation of mass production of satellite communications for the automotive industry – a global first.
By 2025, Geespace aims to provide global real-time data communication services after fully deploying 72 satellites in the initial phase of the constellation. The second phase will see the network expand to 168 satellites, offering global centimetre-level high-precision positioning services. This expansion aims to deliver highly reliable and cost-effective satellite services to various industries, including personal mobility, focusing on autopolit, intelligent connected vehicles, consumer electronics, and more. Additionally, the satellites are equipped with AI remote sensing capabilities, offering 1-5 meter high-resolution remote sensing imaging. This technology is expected to transform ecological environment monitoring and offer versatile imaging solutions across numerous sectors.
The Geely Future Mobility Constellation provides global satellite IoT service capabilities, comparable to the Iridium Next satellites. From its initial design, the Constellation included the provision of Direct-to-Cell service, reflecting functionality similar to that recently introduced by Starlink’s V2 mini-satellites. As a result, the Constellation ensures efficient satellite messaging and data transmission. Geespace, with a focus on personal mobility, specialises in delivering satellite data services to the automotive and consumer electronics industries.
By integrating communication, navigation, and remote sensing, Geespace offers various satellite data products and services. These are designed to significantly support the “Belt and Road” initiative, promoting international cooperation. This strategy is set to hasten the commercialisation, large-scale implementation, and global expansion of satellite applications.
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