China launches first shared education satellite

JIUQUAN -- China's first shared education satellite, Young Pioneer 1, carried by the Long March-2D rocket, was launched into space from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center Friday afternoon.

The 3-kg CubeSat (100 * 100 * 340mm), Young Pioneer 1, enters an orbit of 502 km above the Earth. The rocket also carried Zhangheng 1, an electromagnetic satellite to study earthquake data, and five other miniaturized satellites.

Young Pioneer 1 was manufactured and tested by Commsat, a Beijing-based private satellite company funded by the Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

It will perform wireless storage and transmission of radio waves at UV frequency, space imaging and the verification of user links to the Internet of Things, said Xie Tao, founder and CEO of Commsat.

After in-orbit tests, Young Pioneer 1 will share its data resources with primary and secondary schools and other education institutions equipped with sub-stations in China. It will provide students with experiences like wireless communication and space photography, Xie said.