Chinese space-tech firm Zhongke Tianta showcases “Space Autopilot” with laser comms and AI at IAC

Zhongke Tianta, a commercial space platform incubated by the Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, made its first appearance at the 77th International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, Turkey. The company showcased a physical model of its new generation spaceborne laser communication terminal and an interactive demonstration of the aerospace large model “Huashan”, unveiling a technical route it calls “Space Autopilot”.

According to the company's onsite staff, the new laser communication terminal adopts an independent control system that does not occupy a satellite's main control resources, and can remain stable under satellite micro-vibration. It supports space networking at 100 Gbps, 100 Gbps transmission on highly dynamic platforms, and has begun validation of Tbps ultra-high-speed optical transmission. The terminal is designed for inter-satellite networking, real-time remote sensing data return and high-speed satellite internet transmission.

“Huashan” was described as China's first AI large model for the satellite control and measurement domain, covering capabilities such as satellite anomaly root cause analysis, automated orbit operations, aerospace document processing, professional code generation, multi-source data retrieval and on-orbit decision support. The “Space Autopilot” concept combines the two elements: laser communication provides high-speed data transmission and precise perception, while the AI model handles satellite status monitoring, fault diagnosis and prediction, automated task planning and autonomous control.

At the congress, space agency representatives and experts from multiple countries discussed the approach with Zhongke Tianta, showing strong interest in the combination of laser communication and AI large models for on-orbit autonomous management. The company said it plans to build a new paradigm of satellite autonomous management by integrating high-speed laser communication with an aerospace AI large model, and to promote scaled deployment and iterative upgrades of the terminal and “Huashan”.