Honghu-03 satellite launched into orbit aboard the Zhuque-3 rocket! Carrying China's first Tbps-class onboard router, significantly upgrading inter-satellite communication capabilities.

On August 19, the Zhuque-3 Y2 carrier rocket successfully delivered the Honghu-03 satellite into its预定 orbit, marking a complete success for the mission.

The Honghu-03 satellite, independently developed by Hongqing Technology, is a technology validation satellite designed for the needs of large-scale satellite internet constellation deployment.

After entering orbit, the Honghu-03 satellite will conduct in-orbit validation of multiple technological innovations, including a new-generation propulsion system, energy system, and electronic system, while also carrying out tests on inter-satellite high-speed transmission, satellite-ground networking, and space-based communications, computing, and intelligent integration.

Notably, the Honghu-03 satellite carries several industry-breaking technological innovations, including:

- The first in-orbit validation of an argon-propellant electric propulsion system in China; - The first use of an "active fluid loop + deployable radiator" thermal control scheme on a Chinese low-orbit communications satellite; - China's first onboard router with Tbps-level switching capacity.

As satellite internet constellations continue to expand, the demand for inter-satellite data transmission is growing rapidly, and traditional Gbps-level switching capabilities can no longer meet the ultra-high bandwidth and low-latency requirements of large-scale constellation interconnection.

The breakthrough in Tbps-level switching capacity is equivalent to upgrading the inter-satellite information transmission channel from a "country road" to a "high-speed trunk line," providing stronger core switching capabilities for real-time transmission and efficient distribution of massive data.

Leveraging the advantages of optical communications—such as large bandwidth, high speed, strong anti-interference, and high confidentiality—the Honghu-03 satellite supports transmission rates of 10Gbps and 100Gbps, while remaining compatible with both CCSDS and OTN transmission protocols. This enables adaptation to different communication scenarios, including inter-satellite and satellite-ground links, while further reducing the per-bit communication cost of constellation operations.

For the propulsion system, the Honghu-03 satellite is equipped with the "Jinwu" new-generation argon Hall electric propulsion system, conducting systematic innovation validation across key areas such as propellant substitution, storage and supply regulation, power technology, and thruster efficiency.

In terms of the energy system, the satellite adopts the "Chiyu" large-size flexible solar array, optimized with a focus on low cost, lightweight design, modularity, and scalability to meet the batch deployment needs of future large-scale constellations.

Additionally, the Honghu-03 satellite carries a new-generation "Baize" high-computing-power electronic system, featuring China's first thread-level software hardening technology. Designed around high computing power, high integration, high autonomy, and high reliability, it provides support for subsequent space-based computing and intelligent application validation.