China Starts International Project to Build a 3D Satellite Web Between Earth and Moon

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 over the next four years or so, according to the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory, which is leading the project. The laboratory said the constellation would “fill a global gap in systematic observations of cislunar space,” the region from low-Earth orbit out to about 2 million kilometers from Earth. Participants include Egypt, Indonesia, Senegal, Serbia and Thailand.

With dozens of satellites observing from different locations at once, scientists can track energetic particles and magnetic disturbances from the sun as they move through cislunar space, 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 multiple locations could pinpoint its source in the sky far more precisely than a single spacecraft can. A separate group of CubeSats will orbit the moon to search for lunar resources, though further details have not been disclosed.

Participating countries will jointly design missions, cover their own costs, and share scientific data, according to the laboratory. China will provide free instruments to detect high-energy particles, measure magnetic fields, and spot gamma-ray bursts, along with technical training and common engineering standards to help developing countries take a bigger role in deep-space exploration. Work on the first phase has begun, with overall designs for the spacecraft, instruments and ground control systems expected to be finalized soon.

At the same conference, the laboratory also announced joint research centers with Thailand's National Astronomical Research Institute and the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade in Serbia. The China-Thailand center will focus on lunar robots, miniature spacecraft and planetary science, while the Serbian center will study the moon, planets, the sun and space environment, and asteroids and other small bodies. “We look forward to working with partners around the world to expand the boundaries of human knowledge of deep space and the universe,” said Hu Chaobin, the laboratory's deputy director.