Geely begins serial production of commercial satellites; support for future vehicles

Eighteen months after starting construction of its intelligent satellite production and testing center in Taizhou, China, Geely Technology Group began mass production of commercial satellites. The first set of low-orbiting satellites rolled off the production line, marking another milestone in Geely’s advancement into the commercial aerospace industry. Geely plans to use commercial satellites to support high-speed data connectivity, highly accurate navigation, and cloud computing capabilities in future vehicles.

Geely’s intelligent satellite production and test center is the first AIT (assembly, integration and test) center for commercial satellites in China. The facility uses Geely’s experience in intelligent modular manufacturing and integrates the latest intelligent manufacturing technologies, satellite R&D, core component production, advanced testing and quality control, cloud computing, analysis big data and modular production to assemble, integrate and test different types of satellites used for communication, navigation and remote sensing.

At full capacity, the plant will have an annual production capacity of 500 units.

The first mass-produced satellite manufactured in the satellite factory was developed independently by the Geely Technology group subsidiary, Geespace. Geely’s entry into the commercial satellite business is part of the Group’s transformation into a global mobility technology company. Geespace was created in 2018 for the development, launch and operation of satellites in low orbit.

Inauguration in the middle of an emerging pandemic and 18 months later, start of production. This achievement is a reflection of “Geely Speed” and “Geely Determination”. With the rapid pace of changes in the aerospace industry and the integration of new communication technologies in different industries such as satellite internet, autonomous driving and cloud computing, a bright future is shaping up for the commercial aerospace.

—Xu Zhihao, CEO of Geely Technology Group