China has officially launched an international Earth-Moon CubeSat constellation program aimed at working with multiple countries to deploy satellites in the Earth-Moon system for space-environment monitoring, gamma-ray burst detection, and lunar resource exploration. The initial plan calls for completing the constellation’s deployment around 2030.
The first phase will deploy 30 12U CubeSats, each weighing no more than 30 kilograms, in six batches into a 1:3 Earth-Moon resonant highly elliptical orbit. Multi-satellite observations are expected to improve space-weather monitoring and enable gamma-ray bursts to be localized to sub-arcsecond precision.
Jointly initiated by the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory and the International Deep Space Exploration Society, with support from the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization, the program will follow the principles of joint design, free launch opportunities, shared funding, and scientific data sharing. China will provide standardized payloads, technical training, and interface standards to participating countries. Multiple foreign research institutions have already joined the program, and first-phase engineering development has begun.
Source: People’s Daily, September 7, 2026
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