Online shopping, watching dramas, playing games, sending emails, typing codes… In the future, you can also enjoy smooth Internet services by plane!
On July 7, China’s first true high-speed satellite Internet aircraft, Qingdao Airlines flight QW9771, completed its maiden flight, marking a breakthrough in the development of my country’s civil avionics equipment industry.
It is reported that, different from the previous Internet aircraft using traditional Ku satellites, the high-speed interconnection system XstreamSAT adapted for this flight is based on the first and only domestic Ka-band high-throughput satellite “Zhongxing 16”. This satellite can provide broadband satellite Internet services, allowing the aircraft to achieve high-speed Internet access at an altitude of 10,000 meters or more, allowing passengers to enjoy the same Internet experience as on the ground.
What kind of satellite is Zhongxing 16?
The successful maiden flight of the high-speed Internet plane is of course inseparable from the support of the satellites behind it.
Zhongxing No. 16 communication satellite, also known as Shijian No. 13 satellite, is China’s first high-orbit high-throughput communication satellite. The center was successfully launched with the Long March 3B carrier rocket, with an in-orbit life of about 15 years.
As the first Ka high-throughput satellite developed by my country, the Zhongxing 16 satellite has a pivotal position in the history of China’s aerospace technology development. This satellite has applied the Ka-band multi-beam broadband communication system for the first time. Its total communication capacity reaches more than 20G, which exceeds the sum of the capacity of all previous communication satellites in my country.
Therefore, it can be said that the Zhongxing 16 satellite has driven a great leap in my country’s communication technology. This high-speed Internet aircraft is equipped with a dedicated airborne satellite communication terminal, which can convert the large-bandwidth information transmitted by the Zhongxing 16 satellite into WiFi signals, so that mobile phones, computers, tablets and other Electronic devices can be connected to the Internet. .
What are the advantages of Ka-band broadband satellites?
In order to achieve Internet access at a height of 10,000 meters, the international mainstream practice is to use broadband satellites to connect aircraft and satellites to realize satellite Internet applications.
According to different band frequencies, satellite connections are further divided into L-band, S-band, C-band, Ku-band and Ka-band. Among them, the Ka-band, also known as the 30/20 GHz band, is part of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum, with a frequency range of 26.5-40 GHz.
The Ka-band broadband satellite is a new type of communication satellite using the ka-band. In view of the advantages of Ka-band with wide available bandwidth, less interference, and small equipment size, the Ka-band broadband satellite communication system can be used for high-speed satellite communication, gigabit broadband digital transmission, high-definition television (HDTV), satellite news gathering ( SNG), VSAT service, direct-to-home (DTH) service, and new services such as personal satellite communication provide a brand-new means.
However, the Ka-band also has shortcomings, that is, the rain attenuation is large, and the demand for devices and processes is high, but these can be overcome by relevant technical means.
At present, countries around the world are scrambling to develop and apply Ka-band satellite communications. The successful maiden flight of the high-speed Internet aircraft not only makes my country one of the few countries that have mastered Ka-band broadband communication technology after the United States and other developed countries, but also makes China a “big country in aerospace technology” just around the corner!
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