appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Ling Xin

China has started an international project to build a three-dimensional satellite network between Earth and the moon that will track solar activity and study some of the universe’s most powerful explosions.
The project plans to send 30 backpack-sized CubeSats into highly elliptical orbits around Earth in the next four years or so, according to the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, which will lead the project.
The laboratory said on Friday the constellation would “fill a global gap in systematic observations of cislunar space”. Participants include Egypt, Indonesia, Senegal, Serbia and Thailand.
A separate group of CubeSats will be sent into orbit around the moon to search for lunar resources, but further details have not been disclosed.
“Cislunar space extends from low-Earth orbit to about 2 million km [1.2 million miles] from Earth. It is a new frontier for human activity and a key region for future crewed missions to the moon and the construction of lunar bases,” the laboratory said.
Scientists have long relied on individual spacecraft to study this enormous region, leaving many areas unexplored.
With dozens of satellites observing from different locations at once, scientists can track energetic particles and magnetic disturbances from the sun as they sweep through the region, revealing how space weather develops.
The satellites will also hunt for gamma-ray bursts – immensely powerful flashes from violent events in the distant universe. Detecting the same burst from different locations could pinpoint its source in the sky far more precisely.
According to the lab, participating countries will jointly design missions, cover their own costs and share scientific data.
China will provide them free instruments to detect high-energy particles, measure magnetic fields and spot gamma-ray bursts.


The programme will also offer technical training and common engineering standards to help developing countries play a bigger role in deep-space exploration.
“We look forward to working with partners around the world to expand the boundaries of human knowledge of deep space and the universe,” Hu Chaobin, the laboratory’s deputy director, told state news agency Xinhua.
Work on the first phase has begun, with overall designs for the spacecraft, instruments and ground control systems expected to be finalised soon.
The project is part of a broader push to expand China’s international partnerships in deep-space research.
At the conference’s opening ceremony on Thursday, the laboratory also announced it was setting up joint research centres with Thailand’s National Astronomical Research Institute and the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade in Serbia, according to the local newspaper Anhui Daily.
The China-Thailand centre will focus on lunar robots, miniature spacecraft and planetary science, while its Serbian counterpart will study the moon and planets, the sun and space environment, asteroids and other small bodies.
Both will run joint research projects and exchanges and train young scientists and engineers. The centres would give “new momentum to science and technology cooperation under China’s Belt and Road Initiative,” Anhui Daily reported.


China tests first practical submarine solar power plant at 10-metre depth in the open sea

Rare earth exposure can triple low birthweight risk: Chinese study

China must enforce high standards of integrity for scientists

Is China’s fabled Empress Dowager Huayang buried near an airport? A study says yes

Science

China launches plan for 3D satellite network to monitor sun and cosmic explosions

The network will be set up to cover the vast area between the Earth and the moon. Photo: Shutterstock

As China-US space race heats up, Shanghai unveils space-computing hub

The SpaceSail booth at an exhibition in Shanghai, on June 24, 2026. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

A Long March-8 carrier rocket blasts off from the Hainan commercial spacecraft launch site in south China’s Hainan, June 5, 2026. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese satellite captures video of SpaceX rocket debris crashing into the moon

An image of the moon’s surface shows the estimated impact sites for the SpaceX rocket debris according to Chinese firm ATmoto Technology (pink) and Project Pluto (blue). Photo: QQ.com

China’s commercial space sector expands global footprint with Thailand deal

A Long March-6C carrier rocket carrying seven satellites blasts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua

News

China

The project will involve partners from at least five other countries as they track the development of space weather


The project will involve partners from at least five other countries as they track the development of space weather.


Space

Serbia

Thailand

China launches plan for 3D satellite network to monitor sun and cosmic explosions

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The project will involve partners from at least five other countries as they track the development of space weather

The project will involve partners from at least five other countries as they track the development of space weather