With the help of artificial intelligence, a company in Taizhou, East China’s Zhejiang province, can make a satellite within just 28 days.
The traditional method of satellite manufacturing requires hundreds of engineers and technicians to collaborate, and the entire process from design, manufacturing, assembly to final testing generally takes one to two years. By introducing the mass-production philosophy of the automotive industry and adopting a modular satellite design, the company has transformed the manufacturing process. Combined with AI, the mass production speed is increased by 10 times, production costs are significantly reduced, and the manufacturing cycle is shortened.
Zhang Hua, deputy general manager of Taizhou-based Geesatellite, the company that develops the satellite, said: “By utilizing automation technology, the workshop team only needs about 30 people, and the fastest production time for a satellite is only 28 days. The factory’s annual production capacity reaches 500 satellites. The factory has an intelligent network system that enables orderly and coordinated progress in various aspects such as design, research and development, production, testing, and operation of satellites, making satellite production more efficient.”
Walking into the workshop, engineers set the parameters through the control panel, and the intelligent robot transports the satellite structure honeycomb board to the packaging production line. After more than 60 assembly processes, satellite units with different functions can be assembled into a whole satellite. In the final assembly workshop, the robotic arm accurately installs over 1,600 screws onto a 100-kilogram-level satellite according to a pre-set program, with an error controlled within 0.05 millimeters.
According to Zhang, through AI algorithms and machine learning, the intelligent quality inspection system can monitor the production process of satellites in real time, automatically identify small defects or potential problems, and compare and process satellite in-orbit data with factory manufacturing data to ensure the reliability of mass production.
After completing the final assembly, the satellite also needs to pass a series of “strict exams” to ensure it can adapt to the extreme environment of space. In the lighting test area, it simulates the process of absorbing solar energy and converting it into electrical energy during in-orbit operation. In the hot vacuum test chamber, it should be subjected to temperature differences ranging from minus 180 C to 120 C. In the electromagnetic compatibility laboratory, it simulates the space environment to test the communication and anti-interference capabilities of satellites, he said.
According to the company, the satellites produced by the factory belong to low-orbit satellites and have great potential in supporting emergency communication, maritime communication and aviation data needs.
“With the increasing demand for satellite applications, the large-scale production of satellites and innovative breakthroughs in technology, China’s competitiveness in the global aerospace field will be enhanced,” Zhang said.
Lin Xianping, an associate professor at Hangzhou City University, said: “China’s commercial satellites have officially bid farewell to the traditional ‘manual customization’ model and completed a key leap from aerospace single-piece development to industrial mass production. The breakthrough in the commercial aerospace track is particularly evident, with a hardware foundation for large-scale construction of low-orbit constellations.”
Tanks to chinadaily.com.cn
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