A new satellite industry city is taking shape in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, as the city of Meishan advances plans to become a powerhouse in the satellite industry. The recent approval of a commercial satellite ground station project marks a significant milestone in this ambitious endeavor.
The project, the largest of its kind in Sichuan, represents a critical step in developing the region’s aerospace ecosystem and promoting the country’s commercial satellite networks. According to Yang Zhenyu, deputy general manager of Huantian Wisdom Technology Co., Ltd., the ground station is expected to complete the last piece of Meishan’s aerospace industry layout.
“It will make the city one of the few places in China with comprehensive capabilities in satellite research and development, monitoring and control, application, and data transmission,” Yang said.
The ground station, covering 872 square meters near a local reservoir, will feature a 12-meter-diameter antenna and auxiliary facilities. Construction is scheduled to commence in mid-June, with completion anticipated in the third quarter of this year and official operations by year-end.
“This infrastructure is pivotal for satellite operations,” Yang explained. The station aims to address data transmission bottlenecks by enabling autonomous tracking, telemetry, and command for the Huantian Constellation satellites—a major commercial satellite constellation in China used for agricultural monitoring, ecological protection, and smart city construction—ending the area’s reliance on leased external stations.
Once operational, the ground station will significantly enhance the satellites’ data transmission and reception capabilities and stability. Yang noted that it can reduce data usage costs for local enterprises and attract supporting projects from upstream and downstream sectors. This will help further expand the “satellite plus” industrial cluster in Meishan, which is about 70 kilometers from the provincial capital of Chengdu.
Last year, Meishan unveiled its satellite industry development plan (2024-2030), outlining a strategic roadmap to build a globally competitive satellite industry cluster by 2030, targeting an industrial scale exceeding 10 billion yuan (about $1.39 billion).
