On August 10, 2022, the “Tianjin Binhai-1” satellite and Yunyao-1 04-08 satellites（5 satellites totally), were launched by a Long March-6 carrier rocket and entered the planned orbit successfully.
The “Tianjin Binhai-1” satellite and Yunyao-1 04-08 satellites are equipped with a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) occultation detection payload and an infrared detection payload. The meteorological and infrared data of the payload can be applied to numerical weather prediction, magnetic storm monitoring, earthquake forecasting, and ocean forecasting, among others.
The “Tianjin Binhai-1” satellite and Yunyao-1 04-08 satelliteswere jointly designed byTianjin Yunyao Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. and Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd. (CGSTL).Tianjin Yunyao Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2019 by Tianjin University doctoral student Li Fenghui, general manager of this company.
As a high-tech company,Tianjin Yunyao Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. specializes in the research and development of space and weather detection payload, data inversion and application. Less than a year after its establishment, the company won the Grand Prize in the Tianjin University "Peiyang Crabapple Cup" Alumni Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, and got angel investments of tens of millions of RMB led by Peiyang Crabapple Foundation. The GNSS occultation meteorological detection payload developed by them is a new type of spaceborne remote sensing comprehensive detection equipment with high spatial and temporal resolution, which can simultaneously detect occultation data in multiple regions of the world, and realize continuous detection from the atmosphere to the ionosphere.
On December 7, 2021, Tianjin Yunyao Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. successfully launched the “Tianjin University-1” satellite that is one of the first batch-produced satellites of the “Yunyao-1” series of satellites, marking the official launch of the “Yunyao Constellation” Program. Together with the two satellites already in orbit, a preliminary atmospheric detection constellation is formed, which has become the largest commercial GNSS occultation detection constellation in China (8 commercial satellites in orbit), a mark of the company's entry into a new phase of mass production for satellite launch.
On July 26, 2022, the quality of GNSS occultation data of Yunyao Aerospace Satellite has reached the international advanced level after being evaluated by the China Meteorological Administration and industry experts. This is the first time around China that commercial occultation data pass the evaluation. In the near future, meteorological data for constellations will be applied in China’s weather forecasting.
The Yunyao constellation program aims to build a global meteorological observation network, so as to break monopoly of foreign technology, boost the development of upstream and downstream industries, and form a real-time global atmospheric and ionospheric detection system, which can provide weather forecast information and short-term and imminent earthquake prediction information with real-time performance better than 20 minutes for the countries of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), eventually enhancing China’s international influence.
By Dong Jia'ao
Editor: Sun Xiaofang
