Weaving a network of computing power in space "- this imaginative day is sparking a new round of technological revolution worldwide. Recently, American startup Starcloud announced plans to launch a refrigerator sized satellite data center into space in August of this year. In May, 12 satellites of China's space computing satellite constellation were launched into space, marking the first launch of the "Three Body Computing Constellation" by Zhijiang Laboratory and the first constellation of the "Star Computing" plan of Chengdu Guoxing Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Guoxing Aerospace"), marking the official entry of China's first fully interconnected space computing satellite constellation into the networking stage. Outside of China and the United States, the European Union is also actively exploring the possibility of building data centers in space and continuously researching ways to reduce the cost of sending data centers into space and improve launch efficiency. Various signs indicate that the era of space computing is slowly unfolding. Continuously promoting the construction of space data centers. Currently, the 12 satellite platform system, payload, etc. have completed self inspection and are in good condition. They have entered a 3-month in orbit testing phase for building a blockchain network. ”When it comes to the situation of space computing satellite constellations, Li Chao, the Chief Technical Engineer of the Constellation Research Task Department and Deputy Director of the Space based Computing System Research Center at Zhijiang Laboratory, told reporters. It is reported that the 12 computing satellites that were first launched into orbit are all equipped with onboard intelligent computing systems and inter satellite communication systems, which can achieve full orbit satellite interconnection and have space in orbit computing capabilities. The maximum computing power of a single satellite is 744TOPS (74.4 trillion calculations per second), and the first constellation has a space computing capability of 5POPS (5 quadrillion calculations per second). The maximum inter satellite laser communication rate can reach 100Gbps (gigabits per second). Compared with communication satellites, navigation satellites, and remote sensing satellites, computing satellites can directly process the collected information in space and then send the processing results back to the ground, achieving "sensing and computing". As a high-performance integrated computing platform deployed in space, the space data center can utilize solar energy for all-weather power supply. Meanwhile, the space environment is close to absolute zero, allowing data centers to maintain equipment operation without the need for additional cooling systems. The computing power system can effectively reduce the dependence of traditional data centers on cooling systems and further reduce energy consumption through radiative cooling. With the continuous launch of computing satellites, the construction of space data centers is accelerating. It is reported that this year, Zhijiang Laboratory will work with companies such as Guoxing Aerospace, Jinan Zhixing Space Technology Co., Ltd., and Geospatial Technology (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd. to jointly complete the constellation layout of over 50 computing satellites, and plans to reach a thousand satellite scale around 2030. Tan Jun, founder of HeXing GuangLian Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "HeXing GuangLian"), told reporters that HeXing GuangLian has established a production line in Wuxi with an annual production capacity of 400 sets of laser communication terminals, producing more than 30 sets per month, which can meet the subsequent launch needs of space computing satellite constellations. After completion, the "Three Body Computing Constellation" can finally reach 1000 POPS (billions of calculations per second). Li Chao stated that the computing power scale of 1000POPS exceeds the computing power that most ground data centers can currently provide. When the "Three Body Computing Constellation" achieves this goal, it also means that the computing constellation has basically completed the verification of its research, engineering, and marketing capabilities. Artificial intelligence plays a core role in breaking through constraints in space exploration, and the importance of computing power as the 'physical foundation' of artificial intelligence is further amplified in space scenarios. ”Zhang Yuanting, a senior partner of Hejun Capital, told reporters that AI can cope with the problem of "communication islands" in extreme environments and handle massive amounts of data in space, so space requires artificial intelligence. Tan Jun, who is expected to reconstruct the satellite industry pattern, explained in detail to reporters the necessity of "sensing and computing". Taking remote sensing detection scenarios as an example, the amount of photo data captured by satellites is relatively large, often requiring compression before being transmitted to the ground, and less than one tenth of the effective satellite data can be transmitted back to the ground. At the same time, satellites need to pass through the visible range of ground receiving stations during orbital operation to transmit data to the ground, which takes two to three days. On the one hand, this increases the difficulty for users to make decisions based on data; on the other hand, it also makes the solar panels of remote sensing satellites longer and longer, increasing the satellite manufacturing cost. Therefore, 'Tiangan TianSuan' is very important, "said Tan Jun. It is reported that through satellite networking, space computing satellite constellations can achieve seamless global coverage, especially suitable for data processing needs in remote areas, oceans, and airspace. Low latency interconnection between computing satellites can be achieved through laser communication, thus enabling real-time transmission of data to the ground. Computing satellites also support data transmission without compression, which can help users make more accurate judgments. In the future, with the empowerment of computing satellites, remote sensing satellite constellations are also expected to reduce construction costs. The 'Three Body Computing Constellation' will play a huge role in emergency disaster reduction, ecological environment protection and other fields in the future, providing more effective data support and in orbit intelligent services for the construction of smart cities in the future. ”Li Chao told reporters, "Taking forest fire prevention as an example, the traditional mode is for satellites to capture data and transmit it to the ground for processing, with a processing time of hours. Now that computing power and artificial intelligence are sent into space, the processing time can be increased to minutes or even seconds." Li Chao said, "We hope that after computing power is' launched ', the boundaries of space applications can be greatly expanded." In Tan Jun's opinion, with the successful launch of computing satellites, the satellite industry pattern will be rewritten. From a cost perspective, a single function can better reduce satellite manufacturing and launch costs; from a functional perspective, the computing power of the 'Three Body Computing Constellation' can also support communication satellites, remote sensing satellites, and navigation satellites to focus more on a single function. In the future, there will be both integrated multi application satellites with complex functions and single function satellites, but the proportion of quantities will change, and single function satellites will dominate. The successful launch of the world's first space computing satellite constellation through industrial collaboration to solve the 'space' problem is the crystallization of multiple advantageous technologies. During the launch process, Zhijiang Laboratory undertook the development of space computing software and hardware, as well as space-based models, for the first mission, including on-board intelligent computers. Speaking of the difficulty of this launch, Li Chao told reporters that connecting 12 computing satellites together is quite challenging. Zhijiang Laboratory has developed over 100 hardware and 200 software components, with nearly 1 million lines of self-developed code, aiming to truly connect this system. This is also the biggest contribution and breakthrough of Zhijiang Laboratory in this launch. Guoxing Aerospace has independently developed an intelligent connected satellite platform, equipped with AI payloads, to promote the upgrade of satellites from "single function payloads" to "full scenario intelligent terminals" and enhance the level of satellite intelligence and application efficiency. Helium Star Alliance has undertaken the development of laser communication terminals. The biggest challenge we have overcome is the requirement for every 7 × 24 laser communication terminal to establish real-time high-speed transmission communication online. "Tan Jun said that this means that Helium Starlink needs to simultaneously establish 12 satellites and calibrate and test 11 new laser communication links to ensure its stability and reliability. In addition, relevant listed companies have also participated to varying degrees in the exploration of space computing power. In response to investors' questions about the computing satellite project, the relevant person in charge of Aerospace Era Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. stated on the investor interaction platform that the company's spectral laser communication terminal, data distribution processor, and other satellite payloads have been fully equipped with user equipment satellites. The relevant person in charge of Zhejiang Zhenlei Technology Co., Ltd. said on the investor interaction platform that the company is one of the suppliers of satellite Internet components. The vision of sending data centers to the sky is gradually being implemented through the collaborative efforts of all parties in the industry. However, core challenges such as technological bottlenecks, heat dissipation difficulties, radiation risks, and economic feasibility remain the key obstacles that must be overcome in the current construction process. At present, the bottleneck in deploying AI computing power in space is whether efficient cooling systems can operate stably. ”Chu Pan, an expert member of the Energy Storage Application Branch of the China Chemical and Physical Power Industry Association, told reporters that traditional AI computing power systems are not suitable for space deployment, and in the future, new AI computing power systems need to be developed to meet the special needs of space computing power and solve the problem of heat dissipation. Lin Boqiang, Dean of the China Energy Policy Research Institute at Xiamen University, stated in an interview with reporters that although space data centers can improve computing efficiency, it is currently unclear how to ultimately "send" the data center into space and how much it will cost. This means that companies have to calculate an economic account between the launch cost, operating cost, and data transmission efficiency improvement, "said Lin Boqiang. (New Society)