Space version of China’s NearLink wireless module ‘cuts latency to microseconds’
‘Aerospace NearLink’, which recently completed a test flight, is expected to reduce the weight of heavy rockets and lower launch costs
Chinese scientists have sent the world’s most powerful wireless communication protocol into space, slashing transmission delays from milliseconds to microseconds.
A space version of China’s NearLink or “Xing Shan” wireless communication module for rockets had successfully completed a test flight, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) announced in a social media post last week.
Originally proposed in 2020 by China’s “Xing Shan Alliance” of tech and telecoms experts, the technology is a short-range communication solution that aims to replace Bluetooth. It offers advantages such as low latency or transmission delays, high speed, and resistance to interference.
This space version, dubbed “Aerospace NearLink”, was developed by Beijing Aerospace Wanyuan Science & Technology, a subsidiary of state-owned China Aerospace Corporation (CASC).
The innovation is expected to significantly reduce the weight of heavy rockets and lower launch costs.
The research team said they had sharpened its communication range and stability to meet the specific demands of space applications – to create an aerospace version that enabled wireless, cable-free network access on rockets.
