Satellite network is going global

China plans to establish a remote-sensing satellite network with global coverage by setting up more ground stations overseas, a move that will facilitate public services in China and other nations, an industry insider said on Tuesday.

Yin Liming, president of China Great Wall Industry, the country's sole provider of commercial satellite launch services, told the Third Aerospace Internationalization Forum in Beijing that China is willing to work with foreign space agencies and international organizations to establish the network, which will mainly depend on Chinese-made satellites.

"By now, we have several ground stations in South America and Africa. We also installed a data applications station on the icebreaker Xuelong," Yin said. "Next, we want to set up more stations globally, namely on every continent as well as one in the Arctic, to promote the use of Chinese remote-sensing satellites and to speed up the transmission of satellite data."

The move will enable China to provide diversified data to foreign users in a timely manner and to better serve social and economic development, he said.

"A wide range of activities including harvest forecast, disaster relief, environmental protection and maritime services will benefit from the data provided by the network," he said.

In addition, China will establish ground application centers for its Beidou Navigation Satellite System in more foreign countries to further share navigation and positioning information, Yin said.

"Having such a center will give our foreign users convenient access to Beidou's data and functions. The center will also help them train their own space professionals and develop businesses related to space technologies," he added.

Asad Farooqi, minister of scientific affairs at the Pakistani embassy in Beijing, told China Daily on the sidelines of the forum that Pakistan and China are partnering in a host of satellite data application programs in his country and that the efforts have been helping with telemedicine, agricultural forecasting, an early warning system for disaster and other public welfare services.

He said the two nations are also cooperating to train space professionals for Pakistan, adding that Pakistan is willing to take part in China's future manned space activities.

Mariano Imbert, executive director of the Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities of Venezuela's Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, said that Venezuela regards its cooperation with China in the space field as the country's most important scientific program. He also said that Venezuela hopes Chinese space contractors will share their knowhow on satellite design, testing and components.

The two countries will also deepen their collaboration in ground station operations, data applications and space debris management, he added.

zhaolei@chinadaily.com.cn