Chinese researchers have made a significant breakthrough in satellite-to-ground communication technology, setting a new national record for single-channel X-band transmission speeds.
The team from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences achieved a record-breaking 2,100 megabits per second in single-channel X-band transmission. This marks a 75 percent improvement in microwave communication code rate, according to a report posted by Science and Technology Daily.
“As satellite observation capabilities continue to advance, the volume of data generated by satellites is rapidly increasing,” said Zhang Yumeng, senior engineer at the AIR and head of the experimental project. “However, these speeds can no longer meet the transmission demands of massive space exploration data, affecting the efficiency of satellite utilization. Therefore, improving single-channel transmission speeds has become extremely urgent.”
The breakthrough was validated through comprehensive testing at a remote sensing satellite ground station in Lijiang, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. Researchers successfully demonstrated the system’s technical viability, paving the way for more efficient data transmission from space to Earth.
“This achievement represents a major step forward in overcoming our nation’s satellite communication limitations,” said Huang Peng, a researcher at the institute. “By solving critical technical challenges, we’ve developed a highly efficient solution that offers exceptional value.”
This advancement is expected to significantly enhance the efficiency of satellite data utilization and support the growing demands of space exploration and observation missions.
