According to a research report released by CITIC Construction, China's Xingwang GW constellation has successfully accomplished its inaugural cross-polar in-orbit communication test. This groundbreaking achievement saw the research vessel 'Xuelong' and the Qinling Station in Antarctica establish a seamless bidirectional video connection across four nodes located at the North and South Poles. Remarkably, this connection was achieved with a latency of under 1 second and peak uplink and downlink rates reaching approximately 30 Mbps. Notably, the data transmission was conducted without relying on any overseas nodes, signifying China's complete and autonomous control over the entire communication link within polar regions.
The test harnessed the advanced GW-A59/A2 multi-layer orbital layout, incorporating Ka-band broadband payloads and laser inter-satellite links. This innovative approach effectively addressed the communication challenges that have long plagued areas above 75° latitude, which are beyond the reach of GEO satellites.
In the immediate future, it is anticipated that upstream sectors, including Ka payloads, laser terminals, and phased array antennas, will experience cost reductions as a result of increased scale and production efficiencies. As we look ahead to the medium term, the focus is expected to shift from 'network construction' to 'network utilization.' This transition will bring gradual benefits to ground terminals, direct-to-phone connectivity, industry-specific networks, and operational services.
Key areas that warrant close attention include high-barrier fields such as rocket engines and launch vehicle structures, satellite payloads, antennas, and laser communication terminals. Additionally, ground equipment for civilian terminals and direct-to-phone technology, as well as companies possessing scarce licensing qualifications in operational services, are poised to play pivotal roles in the evolving satellite internet landscape.