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Zhuji team contributes to launch of 22 satellites

chinadaily.com.cn| Updated: March 10, 2022 L M S

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People watch the Long March 8 carrier rocket lift off in Wenchang, Hainan province, on Sunday. [Photo/Sha Xiaofeng for China Daily]

Private aerospace company Tianlian Telemetry, Tracking and Command Technology helped China's Long March 8 carrier rocket transport a new domestic record of 22 satellites into orbit on Feb 27.

The company's teams in Xi'an, Beijing and Zhuji, a county-level city of Shaoxing, were responsible for the tracking and command of 19 of these satellites, the most out of all private companies in China.

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The Zhuji branch of Tianlian Telemetry, Tracking and Command Technology. [Photo/shaoxing.com.cn]

The company's Zhuji branch was opened in the Zhuji Economic Development Zone in Jan 2021. The company currently manages over 3,000 satellites.

More satellites are needed to cater to the demand of various sectors, from remote communication to weather forecasting, even automated driving. 

Starlink, which is part of billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX project, plans to launch 40,000 satellites. Some of the satellites launched by SpaceX are even smaller than a coffee mug or book, but they still need a rocket to propel them into space first.

The more satellites China can send with a single rocket launch, the more competitive it will be. That means China has a long way to go in the "single rocket, multiple satellites" technology.

On Jan 24, 2021, SpaceX's lone Falcon rocket released 143 satellites in space, setting a new world record.