Space tech underpins stellar Games

Information systems

In addition to weather radars, engineers from Beijing Aerospace Changfeng, a subsidiary of the CASIC Second Academy, have contributed to ensuring the security of the Winter Games.

"My company has been commissioned to construct and maintain the public security information system in Zhangjiakou's Chongli district (in Hebei province), one of the host regions of the Winter Games," said Wu Chao, one of several chief designers of the system.

"We integrated the mobile internet, artificial intelligence, the internet of things, 5G communication and cloud computing technologies in the information system and connected it to advanced sensors. It is capable of real-time detection of individuals trespassing in restricted zones or people whose actions appear suspicious. It then warns the security staff so they can respond."

In some peripheral areas featuring rough landforms that are difficult for patrol personnel to reach, the engineers built a set of detection radars, optical and infrared cameras and laser instruments to allow monitoring, Wu said.

In addition to the security information system, the engineers helped the Chongli traffic management department upgrade the local road traffic system by adopting artificial intelligence and the latest algorithms, Wu said.

Fan Yaqiong, head of the Winter Games program at Beijing Aerospace Changfeng, said the company won the contract because it has rich experience in establishing and operating large, sophisticated social management systems.

"Running such a system is like carrying out challenging space programs. It requires skill and knowhow," Fan said.

"Our technologies and services enable authorities in Chongli to extensively improve their working efficiency and accuracy in public security operations, provide police with greater convenience and flexibility, and reduce the number of personnel required."

Up in the sky, a satellite built by CASIC Space Engineering Development, also part of the Second Academy, is on duty as a backup platform for communication services during the Games.

The experimental communication satellite is traveling in a sun-synchronous orbit about 1,100 kilometers above the Earth. That means it is in prime position to provide temporary signal transmission services in the event of malfunctions with the major communication satellites, which travel in high-altitude orbits, the company said.

The 247-kilogram solar-powered satellite was launched atop a carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China in December 2018. Tasked with verifying technologies for a low-orbit, satellite-enabled internet system, it has far outlived its one-year designed life, its developers said.