10 March 2022
On 6 March, TAQNIA ETS and TAQNIA SPACE from Saudi Arabia and STAR.VISION from China, signed a MoU to cooperate on the development of innovative space technologies, satellites, artificial intelligence (AI) and geospatial products. They agreed to engage in collaborative research and development to introduce localized innovative services and products that will support the strategic space and geospatial industry in Saudi Arabia and the region.
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11 March 2022
Tianqin 1, China’s first satellite for space-based gravitational wave detection, collected in summer 2020 global gravity field data, marking the first time China has obtained such data by self-developed satellite, according to Luo Jun, Chief Scientist of China’s Tianqin programme for space gravitational wave detection. Tianqin 1 is not a dedicated satellite for Earth’s gravity field measurement, rather a technology verification satellite for detecting gravitational wave in space. Collected as a side-result, the data are of less precision but the outcome is significant as it represents the success in pioneering technologies for the whole process of data handling in using low-orbit satellite to estimate global gravity field.
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11 March 2022
In an interview with China News Service on 9 March, Wu Weiren, Chief Designer of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Programme (CLEP) talked about the need for an international organisation to coordinate limited space resources, including orbits and frequencies. He referred to GEO and the assignment of frequencies which follows the principle of "First come, first served." As a deputy to the National People's Congress, Wu has submitted a proposal concerning the modernisation of space governance. "It can be addressed not by a single country but by the international community, especially major countries," he added.
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12 March 2022
China is planning the construction of a new "global occultation meteorological detection constellation" for gathering high-precision meteorological data based on the interpretation of signals beamed down from satellites, according to CASIC's 2nd Institute. The system will measure the frequency, phase and amplitude of signals transmitted by navigation satellites, recording how they change after passing through the ionosphere and atmosphere. The resulting data will allow meteorologists to calculate the temperature, humidity and pressure of the atmosphere, as well as the ionospheric electron density.
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