As many metropolises in China such as Beijing and Shanghai have relied heavily on satellite data and images in the planning, construction and management of their cities, an increasing number of smaller cities have also wished to take advantage of the nation's expanding space capability.

However, they face difficulties ranging from less access to satellite resources to insufficient experience running and using space-based assets. Local governments attempting to build their own satellites are also challenged with high costs and the lack of space industry professionals.

Now, mayors can turn to China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, which is offering them a solution that the State-owned space contractor describes as "affordable, practical and convenient".

"Currently, many small cities with thriving economies have realized that satellite-obtained data and images can be of great help in terms of urban and rural management, agriculture, forestry, marine businesses, emergency response and environmental protection. Therefore, some of them want to have their own satellites under their direct control. In most cases, they will have to allocate a considerable amount of funding and resources to buy several remote-sensing satellites and entrust some companies to run the network," said Yuan Hongyi, general manager of HiWing Satellite Operations, a CASIC subsidiary providing solutions in satellite planning, construction and operations.

"However, we satellite professionals at HiWing Satellite Operations know that they actually don't need an entire network and only one satellite will suffice to satiate their demands. And here comes our solution — we can tailor-make plans for a city, based on its specific conditions and needs. The local government can tell us in which sectors it wants to use the satellite data, and we will cooperate with satellite makers to design and build a satellite based on the government's requests," he said.

Together with the spacecraft, Yuan's company will work with local authorities and data users to establish a joint center in the city to promote the application of satellite data, images and other services, according to the manager.

He made the remarks on the sidelines of the 9th China International Commercial Aerospace Forum that concluded on Thursday in Wuhan, Hubei province.

And as soon as a certain number of cities have their own satellites in space, Yuan said his company can help them "organize" their satellites into a network so the spacecraft can work together to obtain data and images on a larger scale and the cities can share those products.

"The satellite of each participating city will primarily serve the needs of its owner, and their products may also be of help to other cities. So this sort of union will allow participating cities to get access to information obtained by others' space assets, thus saving their funds and resources," he said.

Changshu, an economically flourishing city in Jiangsu province, is the first to cooperate with HiWing Satellite Operations to procure and operate a satellite.

The Changshu 1 remote-sensing satellite, built by Changguang Satellite Technology, a State-owned enterprise in Jilin province, was launched in October 2021 and has been operating in orbit since then.

The satellite has been comprehensively used in Changshu's city management work, Yuan said, adding that his company is in talks with multiple other cities on their satellite program.