China News Service, Xi'an, January 25 (Yang Yingqi, Zhang Yichen) Develop all payloads for Beidou-1 and Beidou-2 satellites, and provide all payloads for 20 of the 30 Beidou-3 satellites that realize global networking... …In the past thirty years, the Xi’an Branch of the Fifth Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group (hereinafter referred to as: Xi’an Branch), as the core unit for the overall design of China’s Beidou navigation satellite payload and system product development, has promoted the development of China’s Beidou satellite navigation system from scratch. Three leaps from active to passive, from regional to global.
Beidou-1 starts a new chapter
In January 1994, the Beidou-1 project was officially launched, and China began to build an independent Beidou satellite navigation system.
The first task assigned to the Xi'an branch was the development of three satellites. The Xi'an branch was responsible for the technical research and product development of the satellite payload system and tracking subsystem, including the development of the transponder subsystem, antenna subsystem and tracking subsystem.
From the successful launch of the first Beidou navigation test satellite to the fourth Beidou navigation test satellite heading into space, during the development process of the four satellites, the development team of the Xi'an branch made a lot of accumulation and reserves in terms of technology and system integration for subsequent missions. , laying the foundation for the engineering implementation of the Beidou-2 satellite and subsequent missions.
Multiple technological breakthroughs help Beidou make further progress
The successful operation of the Beidou-1 satellite navigation system has made China the third country in the world to have an independent navigation and positioning system.
At the same time, the strategic goal of Beidou satellite navigation system to realize regional networking and provide global navigation and positioning functions needs to be realized urgently.
In September 2004, the Beidou-2 satellite navigation system project was officially launched.
The Xi'an Branch is responsible for the development of all Beidou-2 satellite navigation subsystems and antenna subsystems.
Not long ago, breakthroughs were made in the development of satellite payloads such as spaceborne rubidium clocks, precision spread spectrum ranging, and navigation information processing, which were previously arranged by the institute.
At that time, as China's new generation of navigation system, navigation engineering in general faced problems such as the difficulty of achieving high-precision indicators and the difficulty of improving anti-interference capabilities.
In this regard, the technology of the satellite payload system is correspondingly facing breakthroughs in a number of key technologies represented by highly stable spaceborne atomic clock technology, spaceborne precision ranging technology, and continuous and stable navigation signal generation technology.
Among them, the rubidium atomic clock is called the "heart" of navigation satellites in the industry. The time base it provides will directly affect the functions and performance of navigation satellites.
After joint research by multiple units and fierce competition, the development team of the Xi'an Branch successfully delivered more than 30 prototype spaceborne rubidium clocks, achieving perfect performance in orbit.
In April 2007, the first Beidou navigation satellite was launched into orbit. The satellite not only completed the on-orbit verification of payload technologies such as domestic rubidium clocks and navigation signal design, but also completed the tasks of seizing frequency resources, exploring the orbital electromagnetic environment, and establishing standards. important task of the state.
In October 2012, China completed the construction of its Beidou-2 satellite navigation constellation and began to provide satellite navigation services to the Asia-Pacific region.
“Beidou Network” covers the whole world
The space segment of the Beidou-3 global satellite navigation system consists of 30 networked satellites. The Xi'an Branch is responsible for the development of all payloads of 20 satellites as well as incremental loads such as global short message communications and search and rescue.
In March 2020, the 54th Beidou navigation satellite was successfully launched. The Xi'an Branch provided payload products such as navigation subsystem, antenna subsystem, and transponder subsystem for the satellite, helping the Beidou-3 global satellite navigation system network to usher in the new era. "Match Point".
In the same year, the Beidou-3 global satellite navigation system was officially launched.
It can not only provide high-precision, high-reliability positioning, navigation, and timing services to all types of users around the world, all day and night, but also has a unique short message communication function.
After the completion of the Beidou-3 global satellite navigation system, the spaceborne rubidium atomic clock developed by the Xi'an Branch achieved an accuracy of one second per 3 million years, and its navigation service capabilities are at the world's advanced level.
In 2023, three Beidou-3 network-replenishing satellites were launched one after another, and the Xi'an Branch participated in the development of all payloads.
Sun Jiadong, the first chief designer of China's Beidou Satellite Navigation System Project, once praised the development team of the Xi'an Branch as having "great potential".
After thirty years, Xi'an Branch and China Beidou have gradually transformed from "promising" to "promising".
In the future, the road to building a more integrated and intelligent Beidou global satellite navigation will never stop.
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