Chinese automotive company Geely Holding Group has begun construction of a satellite production and testing center to navigate autonomous vehicles.
The facility in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, was established under Geely’s subsidiary, Geely Technology Group, and is the first private enterprise to produce satellites in China.
It will include a modular satellite manufacturing center, a testing center, an R&D center and a cloud computing center.
The satellites will be operated by Geely operating company, Geespace, which was established in 2018 to develop, launch and operate low-orbit satellites.
Connected vehicles integrated into the Internet of Things need data, and Geespace’s low-orbit satellite network aims to satisfy data demands with high-speed connectivity through OTA updates and content delivery.
Level 4 and 5 autonomous vehicles require advanced navigation, and Geespace says its low-orbit network will offer centimeter-accurate position for features such as lane changes and accident avoidance via GPS location data.
Li Shufu, chairman of Geely Holding Group, said, “Today, the automotive industry faces huge challenges and equally huge opportunities. Geely must take the initiative to embrace change, develop through innovation, find new synergies online and off-line, and cooperate with global partners to become a global technology leader, drive change in mobility, and create new value for users.”