(Yicai) Nov. 10 -- China has launched the Nebula Constellation Project, an ambitious initiative to create a space-based cloud computing network that puts orbital computing resources on an equal footing with terrestrial computing.

The Hefei-based project was unveiled at a space cloud industry conference yesterday, alongside the formal start of work at project operator Nebula Space Intelligence Technology. It is backed by Chinese technology firms, state-owned enterprises, and investment funds.

Based on the Space Cloud concept proposed by the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Nebula Constellation Project aims to integrate the capabilities of individual satellites performing different tasks, including remote sensing, communications, and computing, into one coordinated and intelligent space-based information services system.

The concept of "space-ground parity" envisages space-based computing becoming a fully fledged resource alongside terrestrial computing, enabling coordinated and complementary functions. Under this model, users would be able to access computing resources in orbit as easily as they currently access cloud-computing services on the ground.

“Users don't need to know where the satellite is, where the computing power is, or where the payload is," Wu Yirong, a CAS academician and academic director of the AIRCAS, told reporters. “They only need to submit service requests to receive corresponding services, with the entire computing scheduling process completed in space.”

Technology Firms Back Space Cloud

Nebula Space Intelligence, with a registered capital of CNY1.5 billion (USD223.3 million), was jointly set up by six tech companies, CAS Investment Development, central SOEs, local SOEs in Hefei and Anhui province, and affiliated investment funds.

The six tech firms cover the entire value chain of the space-based information services system, from infrastructure construction to end-user applications.

Hygon Information Technology will supply domestically developed high-end computing chips for the project, Dawning Information Industry will provide server hardware and intelligent computing infrastructure, StarMap TT&C will deliver satellite tracking, telemetry, and command services.

Meanwhile, Sugon Data Energy will offer thermal management support for computing infrastructure, Zhongke Satellite Technology Group will undertake the development and operation of the sensing-computing constellation, and Geovis Technology will process satellite data and deliver space information products and services.

Hefei Anchors Space Computing Ambitions

Hefei, the capital of Anhui, has a major commercial space industry, attracting more than 190 related businesses and institutions and with a supply chain worth more than CNY10 billion (USD1.5 billion). The city also has a thriving computing industry, enabling Nebula Space Intelligence to draw on that to support the new project.

Nebula Space Intelligence intends to pursue an entirely domestically developed and controlled technology approach across the full technology stack. Its plans include space-based computing chips, onboard computers, high-speed inter-satellite connectivity, and a platform for coordinating computing resources between space and Earth.

By forming a complete indigenous tech architecture and associated standards, the project company aims to develop in-orbit computing solutions that combine low power consumption, high performance, and high reliability, while also meeting the demanding requirements of the space environment.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev