China’s First High-Throughput Satellite Put into Operation

On January 23, China’s first High-Throughput Satellite (HTS), SJ-13, was delivered in orbit, marking its formal operation. After being put into operation,the satellite has been listed in the Chinasat series and named as Chinasat-16.

The satellite was launched on April 12, 2017 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The new generation high orbit technological experiment satellite was developed indigenously by China, enabling the first application of Ka-band broadband technology on a domestic communications satellite.The total communications capacity is 20 Gbps, marking China’s satellite communications have entered the highthroughput era. The satellite successfully conducted high speed laser bi-way communications test between high orbit satellite and the Earth, the first time in the world, meaning that China becomes the leader globally in the area of highspeed information transmission in space,and is the first country in the world to master the technology.

During the mission, domestic made products such as the Earth sensor and Ka-band broadband receiver were achieved engineering application for the first time for a high-orbit long life communications satellite. Satellite critical units are autonomous, also an electric propulsion system has been equipped on the satellite for the first time enabling orbital positioning during its life cycle,bringing China’s satellite bus technology into the electric propulsion era.

SJ-13 is being launched

SJ-13 mainly provides services for regional customers within China, enabling mobile communications base station access and other industrial applications in remote regions and is widely used in the fields of business special networks, tele-education, tele-medicine,internet access, digital news acquisition,air-borne ship communications and emergency communications. The satellite may help the customers access the internet rapidly, meeting the demands for air, shipping and railway customers.Compared with traditional C- and Kuband communications, the terminals are smaller and easier to use, and the usage-based billing business mode is more flexible.

In addition, SJ-13 has the advantage of rapid deployment and short construction period.

China will deploy extra-capacity high-throughput satellites. It is expected that the communications capacity will approach 200 Gbps by 2020, covering whole of China and the Asia Pacific region, meeting the requirements for broadband communications of “Broadband China” and national “Belt and Road Initiative” construction.