satellites are the largest number of spacecraft manufactured by mankind, and are divided into many types such as meteorology, communication, navigation, etc. In a satellite super factory in Taizhou, Zhejiang, the automated production line enabled commercial satellites to become the first in the country to achieve mass production. How are satellites made? How precise and fast is the manufacturing? Let’s go to the factory and have a look.
's satellite super factory in Taizhou, Zhejiang can produce up to 500 satellites per year, achieving mass production. How do they realize "quick work produces careful work"?
In the past, traditional aerospace-grade components used in the manufacturing of satellites had long production cycles and high prices, so it was difficult to achieve mass production. In this satellite super factory in Taizhou, Zhejiang, industrial-grade components have replaced high-grade components. At the same time, according to the production rhythm and needs of the product, a flexible satellite production line has been created to realize automated production.
Satellite Manufacturing Engineer Qian Chengcheng: Our intelligent pulsating production line can realize the parallel production of 10kg small satellites and 1000kg large satellites at the same time by transforming different interfaces. With this industrialized, standardized and automated process , we can quickly achieve mass production of satellites.
In order to make satellite production more efficient, the factory has also established an intelligent network system to allow all aspects of design, research and development, production, testing and operation of satellites to be coordinated in the same system.
Satellite Manufacturing Engineer Qian Chengcheng: For example, if a single machine has a problem during production, this system will alarm in real time, and our engineers can receive the information as soon as possible to deal with the problem of this single machine.
How to safely transport the factory satellite to the launch site? After the
satellite is manufactured, it still needs to pass more than 30 tests such as mechanical tests, thermal vacuum tests, magnetic tests, and a series of key tests before being transported to the launch site. The journey is long, how can we ensure the safe arrival of the satellite?
During the transportation process of about 3,000 kilometers, in order to ensure safety and minimize the impact of long-distance bumps, a special satellite packaging box is used.
satellite manufacturing engineer Liu Kangxin: This is not an ordinary container, but is made of high-strength and lightweight composite materials. A shock-absorbing device is also installed inside the box to ensure the vibration amplitude of the satellite during the entire process. It is within the scope of our requirements.
temperature and humidity control equipment ensures the environment inside the packaging box. The temperature can be controlled at 15-25 degrees Celsius and the humidity can be controlled at 30%-60%. By filling the packaging box with nitrogen, we ensure that the external environment will not affect the cleanliness of the satellite.
By isolating oxygen, water vapor and other components in the air that may cause corrosion or damage to the satellite, it effectively avoids the risk of electrical failure of the satellite during transportation and prevents pollutants or excess matter from entering the interior of the satellite.
What is the significance of accelerating the mass production of commercial satellites?
my country has “hard power” in the production and manufacturing of commercial satellites. So, what is the significance of accelerating the mass production of satellites?
The self-owned commercial constellation satellites manufactured by this super factory are launched at an altitude of 600 kilometers from the earth and are low-orbit satellites. At present, the construction of my country's commercial low-orbit satellite constellation is still in its infancy and faces multiple challenges.
It is estimated that low-Earth orbit can accommodate a total of about 60,000 satellites. Since space is limited, whoever breaks through the core technology first and successfully launches into orbit has become the key.
Zhang Hua, an expert in the field of satellite intelligent manufacturing: is first come, first served according to the general guidelines of international space, so rapid mass production is the key to seizing orbit and frequency resources in low orbit space. We have 72 satellites in the first phase. In the second half of this year, we plan to launch and deploy third-orbit satellites. In the next two years, we will realize the construction and deployment of the entire satellite constellation in the first phase, which can provide autonomous vehicles worldwide. Providing empowerment for services such as driving, intelligent network connection, and direct connection of mobile phones to satellites.
more news
