At present, the number of satellites in orbit in China has exceeded 900, ranking second in the world. How are they manufactured?
CCTV News specifically visited the main unit of satellite development in China - the Fifth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
The satellite flexible intelligent production line of the Fifth Academy is located in Tianjin, with a factory area of nearly 4000 square meters. However, there are few workers, only different types of robotic arms are assembling satellite components, and delivery vehicles shuttle back and forth.
Here, the entire development process of the satellite, from assembly to testing and even propellant injection, can be completed and divided into 13 production stations, forming a pulsating production line, with each station working for no more than 1.5 days.
Due to strict control of the production process, it only takes more than 20 days for a satellite to be delivered from product launch to the entire satellite being taken offline and shipped, compared to at least 6 months in the past.
According to the latest design, the production of satellites is divided into three main modules, namely the solar wing module in Tianjin, the propulsion module in Huailai, Hebei, and the payload module in Xi'an, in order to achieve efficient supply of modules.
Nine key single machines, such as gyroscopes and sensors, that affect satellite safety and mission success or failure, have been designed with production dedicated lines to ensure stable and high-quality production of core single machines.
This satellite flexible pulsating production line was officially launched in July 2023, and multiple satellites have been launched into orbit in good condition since then.