A model of China's satellite communications network is on display at an expo in Beijing, Sept 22, 2015. [Photo/VCG] Satellites to provide broadband internet access in remote areas China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, the nation's largest missile-maker, will launch a test satellite this year as part of an effort to build a vast space-based communications network capable of covering the entire globe with broadband internet service. Lyu Dongming, chairman of CASIC Space Engineering Development Co, said on Thursday in Wuhan, Hubei province, that a satellite will be launched into low-Earth orbit before the end of this year to demonstrate the low-orbit broadband communication technology to be used in the Hongyun satellite family. Lyu's company was established in December as a subsidiary of the CASIC Second Academy. It is tasked with the research, design and production of small, low-orbiting satellites and new-generation cargo spacecraft. It is also responsible for marketing its satellites' broadband communications services. The satellite to be launched this year was built at the company's research and production complex in Beijing and is undergoing extensive tests there, Lyu said. A vice-president of CASIC Space Engineering Development, who asked to be identified as Bei, said the satellite has a liftoff weight of 260 kilograms and is designed to last a year. It will carry Ka-band transponders and transmission antennas and will be powered by solar arrays. Lifted into orbit by a Kuaizhou 11 solid-fuel rocket, also made by CASIC, the satellite will be used to verify the company's technology to transmit large quantities of data between low-orbiting communications satellites and users on the ground. The company has begun work on four Hongyun satellites, which are designed for mass production and are expected to be in orbit before the end of 2020. Together, they will form a small network for Hongyun's trial run, Lyu said. The Hongyun project, initiated by CASIC in September 2016, aims to build a space-based communications network of 156 small satellites in orbits about 1,000 kilometers above the ground that will become operational around 2025. After the constellation of satellites takes shape, users who pay will be able to make calls and connect to the internet anywhere in the world via a portable device, Bei said, noting that access to telecommunication and the internet are generally unavailable in deserts, on small islands and in polar regions. He said the system will feature lower production and operational costs and lower occurrence of data transmission delays compared with existing communications satellite networks. Zhang Zhongyang, president of the CASIC Second Academy, said Hongyun will enable users to enjoy broadband internet service whether they are in the desert, on the ocean or aboard an airliner. personalized wristbands canadacolor wristbandsblank wristbandscustom braceletssilicone rubber wristbands
The first direct flight connecting the capitals of China and Mexico will be inaugurated later this month, to boost exchanges between the countries and the rest of Latin America.According to Chinese Ambassador to Mexico Qiu Xiaoqi, Hainan Airlines will fly the new route between the two major developing countries, whose annual bilateral trade exceeds $40 billion.Qiu spoke about the new route in an interview with China Daily during the ongoing two sessions. Qiu is a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.Currently, China and Mexico - more than 12,000 kilometers apart - have only two direct flights in place, one linking Mexico City with Shanghai and another connecting the Mexican capital with Guangzhou, Guangdong province.Once the new flights get underway, a total of three air routes will link Mexico with three of the most important cities in China and further strengthen interconnectivity, Qiu said.The daunting distances between China and Latin American countries - in most cases more than 14,000 km - has resulted in a limited number of direct flights.Currently, one of the most popular routes for Chinese visitors to Latin America goes from Beijing to Sao Paulo, Brazil, via Madrid, Spain.Because Mexico City is a major air hub in Latin America, Chinese visitors will be able to reach the capital of virtually every other Latin American country, Qiu said.Given that around 120 million trips abroad are made annually by Chinese citizens, the ambassador estimated that an increasing number of Chinese travelers will head to Mexico as two-way ties make progress and transportation improves.China is Mexico's second-largest trading partner, and Mexico is China's second-largest trading partner in Latin America.Criticism has arisen recently suggesting that China is conducting checkbook diplomacy in Latin America as it develops international partnerships related to the Belt and Road Initiative.But Qiu said Cold War era thinking and geopolitical angles should not be used to evaluate China's cooperation with other countries. The cooperation is completely open and inclusive and based on mutual benefits and win-win collaboration, Qiu said, adding that third parties are also welcome to be part of the process.China-Latin America cooperation does not target nor exclude any third party, Qiu said.The countries of Latin America are in a key phase of their development, and they need funding, technology and helping hands from abroad, so China and these countries have shared aspirations, Qiu said.As I have been working in Latin America for quite a number of years, I can say that China's cooperation and investment are heartfelt and welcomed by the governments and people there, Qiu said.Such cooperation meets the countries' need for development and improving their domestic economies, Qiu said.
