China's northernmost satellite data receiving station put into operation

BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's northernmost satellite data receiving station officially commenced operations on Friday, according to the station's developer, the Aerospace Information Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Located in Mohe, China's northernmost city in Heilongjiang Province, the station is designed to autonomously receive satellite data. It is now tasked with receiving data from 25 national land observation satellites, the institute said.

The Mohe station boasts a maximum channel downlink data rate of 2 gigabits per second and can transmit the received data in real time. Leveraging its high-latitude geographical advantage, the station can extend the daily receiving time window for polar-orbiting satellites by over 20 percent.

Construction of the Mohe station began in July 2022. It entered trial operation phase in October 2023. By the end of November this year, the station has successfully received more than 1,600 terabytes of total satellite data.

The institute said the addition of the Mohe station further optimizes the spatial distribution of China's satellite ground receiving network.