He weaves a space computing network by the Zhijiang River

“Which is more important, talent or hard work?”

"Opportunity." Li Chao, head of the Space-based Computing System Research Center of Zhijiang Laboratory, answered the reporter without hesitation.

There are many talented and hardworking researchers, but the "east wind" is not always there.

It is a good time of the year when "the east wind blows the willows and the days are getting longer". The window of Li Chao's office is printed with a blue sky. He smiled and said that he and his team are facing a critical opportunity at the moment.

On February 3, the intelligent onboard computer developed by the Zhijiang Laboratory was launched into space on the "Dongfang Huiyan Satellite". In the rest of 2024, payloads developed by the Space-based Center will also be launched into space on other satellites.

As the space computing network becomes increasingly dense, the "dream" of a space-based center is becoming clearer.

At 11:00 on February 3, the Jielong-3 carrier rocket successfully launched nine satellites, including the Dongfang Huiyan Gaofen 01, into space. Image from Xinhua News Agency

Giving satellites a “brain”

At 9 a.m., when the reporter arrived at the office of the Space-Based Research Center, Li Chao had just finished his first discussion with two technical members. Li Chao's office is simple, with a table, a chair, and a computer, and looks no different from that of an ordinary office worker. But behind the lines of code in the laptop are the "eyes" in the distant space that observe the earth.

Li Chao and his team members are having a meeting. Photo by reporter Lin Chenchen

When a volcano erupts violently on the other side of the earth, spewing out red lava, you, thousands of kilometers away, can see high-definition pictures of the scene at the first time.

Li Chao said that in the future, this will be a major goal that intelligent satellites can achieve - obtaining key information occurring anywhere on the earth's surface at "seconds", and conducting real-time disaster monitoring and early warning, etc., to benefit human society more efficiently.

When you look up at the sky, the sky is also looking at you. Outside the atmosphere above our heads, thousands of satellites around the world are constantly rotating in orbit, looking at the earth, collecting data, taking pictures, and transmitting a large amount of information back to the ground for processing to serve people's production and life.

But this is too slow. Li Chao spoke quickly: "Generally speaking, it takes several hours for traditional remote sensing satellites to transmit data back to the ground, and it may take several months to process the data." He pointed to the clouds in the sky and said that fog, rain and snow may "block" satellite photography. Traditional satellites cannot judge and identify images, and may eventually transmit invalid images covered by clouds.

The door of Li Chao's office was open. All morning long, staff in charge of various sections came to "punch in" one after another. "We have contacted experts in Beijing for exchanges." "What terms should be included in the contract signed with this satellite company?" After a brief discussion, they quickly left with their computers.

We need to concentrate on technical research and cooperate with major companies across the country to launch satellites. The key task of the Space-Based Center is to equip various satellites with smart "brains". This "brain" can help satellites execute and respond to telemetry commands, and can process, compress, judge and identify massive amounts of image data.

Image courtesy of Zhijiang Laboratory of Intelligent Spaceborne Computers

The intelligent onboard computer, which was recently launched into space, can perform 32 trillion operations per second in a small volume the size of a book and weighing only 1.4 kilograms. "It can greatly improve the computing efficiency of our country's satellites," said Li Chao.

As of today, this computer has been in orbit for a full month. Judging from the monitoring data, it is generally stable. More than 30 tests have been carried out and all functions have been operated normally.
“Unromantic” space travel

Li Chao doesn't have the habit of taking a lunch break. At 1 p.m., when the office is quiet, he refills a pot of black tea to refresh himself. At this time, he can concentrate on "typing" on the computer. Occasionally, he takes off his glasses, looks out the window and thinks for a while, then puts them back on. He laughs and says, "I still have a lot of hair now, but I may be bald in a few years."

Before the establishment of the Space-Based Research Center, Li Chao was an out-and-out "programmer". He majored in computer science in college and worked in a research institute in Beijing. After entering the Zhejiang Laboratory, he was responsible for the research and development of intelligent computing technology. The application involved intelligent perception, intelligent manufacturing and other fields. "I have also been involved in aerospace projects before, but now I am more specialized and sophisticated."

We often say that space travel is a romantic career, with the stars as our companions. But Li Chao shook his head firmly: "Space travel is not romantic at all."

In Li Chao's view, aerospace engineering is a nearly rigorous and perfect engineering project. "Every day there are new technical problems to be solved." The high cost of launching a satellite and the efforts of thousands of people behind it all mean that every link must be rigorous, meticulous and meticulous without any mistakes. "It cannot be described as casual romance."

The Space-Based Center team is testing the payload. Photo courtesy of Zhijiang Laboratory

"There are 360 ​​days in a year, and most of them are spent on the road." Since last year, the team has rarely left work on time. To the east of the office building is the apartment provided by the laboratory to Li Chao. "When the delivery task is heavy, I occasionally work overtime until midnight, but my home is very close to the office. A new path was just opened last week, so it only takes 10 minutes to get to and from get off work."

In the view of Zhang Hui, a senior engineering specialist at Zhijiang Laboratory, "this is a particularly interesting and challenging project." In the working group, he is mainly responsible for the research and development of the satellite-borne intelligent computer software operating system. From the beginning of the project, he firmly chose the Space-based Center.

Satellites in the sky are constantly "moving", so the system must be tested on the ground to ensure the stability of the cloud computing network. All preparations must wait until the system is launched and the data is returned to the ground to verify success. Zhang Hui said: "Scientific researchers must have the spirit of a screw. Aerospace engineering requires a lot of cooperation and breakthroughs, but it is also the most rewarding."

The second entrepreneurship is in full swing

There were two meetings in the afternoon. One was a technical difficulty research meeting to keep an eye on the technical progress of the project, and the other was a team building meeting to improve and clarify the assessment standards for all members. A day at work with Li Chao was filled with phone calls and meetings. A walk around the lab after lunch was one of the few leisure times.

Data map of Zhijiang Laboratory. Photo provided by Zhijiang Laboratory

In early spring, the bright pink crabapple flowers are about to bloom on the branches, and along the way to the laboratory, you can see green mountains and clear waters, and the scenery is beautiful. When passing by the football field, Li Chao said that it has been a long time since he played a game of football after get off work.

Last year, the Zhejiang Laboratory launched a comprehensive reform, and a "second entrepreneurship" was placed before Li Chao and other researchers at the Zhejiang Laboratory.

The space-based center, which was built from scratch, has gathered more than 200 people, more than 90% of whom are born in the 1980s and 1990s.

In the future, Zhijiang Laboratory will continue to make breakthroughs in space computing technology, provide computing power for on-orbit spacecraft, and serve the needs of many scenarios such as national natural disaster monitoring, environmental ecological monitoring, urbanization development, smart transportation, and smart agriculture.

"Strengthen communication, lead the team well, let everyone set their own small goals, work together, and strive firmly towards the big goal of the Space-based Center." In the past few months, Li Chao has been constantly working with the team, and has a better understanding of young people and the difficulty of "management."

Li Chao holds the intelligent onboard computer developed by his team. Photo provided by the interviewee

"But the road to innovation is always difficult. Whether it is aerospace research or artificial intelligence technology, they are the inevitable choice for developing new quality productivity and are the battleground for all countries in the world today." Li Chao is very proud of the cause he is fighting for. The intelligent satellite-borne computers developed by the Space-based Center have lower costs, and key technical indicators such as computing power and efficiency are at the leading level in China. "The laser communication team of our center has also made important technical breakthroughs in intersatellite laser communication and lunar-to-earth laser communication, which will provide key payloads for us to weave the 'space computing network'."

Li Chao feels that being in this is an opportunity that can't be found anywhere else, and a challenge that must be met head-on. He is determined to lead his team members to work together to produce results that he will be proud of for the rest of his life, "while realizing personal value, contributing to China's aerospace industry." Li Chao said.