China successfully launched its first communications satellite equipped with an ultra-thin flexible solar wing. This satellite is part of China’s plan to develop a 13,000-satellite broadband megaconstellation in low-Earth orbit, to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink project.
The Lingxi-03, developed by the Beijing-based start-up GalaxySpace, lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province in central China on top of a Long March 2D rocket at on Sunday.
The Lingxi-03’s bendable solar panel measures about 1mm thick – similar to a credit card and only 5% of the thickness of a traditional solar panel – according to state broadcaster CCTV. When folded inside a rocket, the solar array is 5cm (2 inches) thick, and it expands to 9 metres long and 2.5 metres wide (29.5 feet by 8.2 feet) once operational in orbit.
Previously, China had only used such solar panels to power its Tiangong space station, according to CCTV.
“These solar wings are small, lightweight and easy to store. They absorb more solar energy than traditional solar panels do and are especially suitable for large-scale stackable satellite launches,” chief technology officer of GalaxySpace Zhu Zhengxian told China Science Daily on Tuesday.
According to astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who tracks launches on his website, there are currently over 4,500 Starlink satellites in orbit. In the next 10 years, the figure is expected to reach 42,000.
