Somewhere above the atmosphere, a small satellite named PEGA-SUS1 has taken its place in orbit, carrying into space a question that has long been left to ground stations: can the work of sensing, thinking and connecting be gathered into one vessel overhead? Built by the private firm GalaxySpace with research partners, it is meant less as a finished service than as a proof, testing whether a satellite can hold a piece of the mobile network's brain and decide for itself what is worth sending down. Its trials sit within a wider national turn toward commercial space and toward the 6G communication
GalaxySpace Launches PEGA-SUS1, Testing 5G Core Network and AI Computing in Orbit
Moving the 5G network's brain from ground computer rooms into space
Mark
What's actually new about this satellite?
Mimi
The combination. A 5G base station, a core network, AI computing, laser and microwave links, all on one verification satellite. The report says that's a first for China.
Mark
And the core network part matters why?
Mimi
It's the 5G brain, normally in a ground computer room. Putting it in orbit means the satellite can serve users itself.
Luke
Worth noting that "first in China" is the company's framing as relayed in the report. And this is a verification satellite, so it's a test, not a working service.
Mark
The fire example makes it concrete, though.
Mimi
Yes. Instead of sending raw images down and analyzing them later, the satellite detects the fire, calculates the affected area and sends only the findings. That saves bandwidth and time.
Luke
But that's an illustration from GalaxySpace's Ren Jiadong of what the system can do. The report gives no performance figures, no test results on speed or accuracy.
Mark
So what do we know about the track record?
Mimi
GalaxySpace had launched more than 50 self-developed satellites as of Sept 20, and the state is backing space computing, including a new committee set up in April.
Luke
The market figures, 2.83 trillion yuan in 2025 and 3.5 trillion expected for 2026, come from one consultancy, CCID. The 2026 number is a projection. And nothing here says how much of that market involves orbital computing.
Mark
What's next?
Mimi
The 6G tests in orbit. Those results will say more than the launch did.
O Pulso
- A satellite has been launched into its planned orbit, and the first real test is whether it can work as a single integrated platform.
- Traditionally, the core network of a 5G system has sat in ground computer rooms, and engineers are now pressing it into space.
- Onboard AI can spot a ground fire, calculate the affected area and send results immediately, sparing the slow trip of raw images to Earth.
- The satellite is now in orbit as a verification platform, with in-orbit 6G experiments planned as China's commercial space market heads toward 3.5 trillion yuan in 2026.
Somewhere above the atmosphere, a small satellite named PEGA-SUS1 has taken its place in orbit, carrying into space a question that has long been left to ground stations: can the work of sensing, thinking and connecting be gathered into one vessel overhead? Built by the private firm GalaxySpace with research partners, it is meant less as a finished service than as a proof, testing whether a satellite can hold a piece of the mobile network's brain and decide for itself what is worth sending down. Its trials sit within a wider national turn toward commercial space and toward the 6G communications that may follow, and what its orbit reveals will help show whether the sky is becoming a place where information is not merely passed through, but understood on the way.
A satellite called PEGA-SUS1 is now in its planned orbit, and its real purpose lies in how it handles data. GalaxySpace, a Chinese private satellite maker, launched it as a technology verification platform to test whether communication, sensing, intelligence and computing can live together in one spacecraft. Built with Pengcheng Laboratory, the Southern University of Science and Technology and other partners, it is the first in China to carry a 5G non-terrestrial base station, a core network, onboard AI computing and laser and microwave links on a single satellite.
The idea is simple to describe and hard to build. Images are captured by a remote sensing payload, then analyzed by onboard modules that detect targets and turn findings into network content. Ground users can view results in near real time, much as they browse the internet. Take a fire: instead of sending down images for analysis on the ground, the satellite can detect the blaze, estimate its area and push the result out at once, with raw footage still retrievable on demand.
The mission also looks ahead to multiple 6G tests in orbit, part of a push from ground-based networks toward integrated space-air-ground systems. Policy is moving alongside it, with national space authorities encouraging commercial development and a new industry body for space computing formed in Beijing in April. CCID Consulting reports that China's commercial space market reached 2.83 trillion yuan in 2025 and is expected to grow to 3.5 trillion yuan this year. The coming months of in-orbit results will show whether this integrated design holds up.
A satellite called PEGA-SUS1 is now in its planned orbit, and the way it handles data is the point of the mission. China's private satellite maker GalaxySpace launched it recently as a technology verification platform. Its job is to test whether communication, sensing, intelligence and computing can be combined in one spacecraft.
GalaxySpace built the satellite together with Pengcheng Laboratory, the Southern University of Science and Technology and other partners. According to the report, it is the first time in China that a 5G non-terrestrial network base station, a core network, onboard AI computing, satellite-to-ground laser communication and microwave communication have flown together on a single verification satellite. GalaxySpace describes the design philosophy as "multi-purpose use and functional integration." The company says it wants satellites to evolve from single-service carriers into what it calls space information supernodes.
Ren Jiadong, deputy director of the satellite overall technology department at GalaxySpace, explained what that means in practice. The core network is the "brain" of a 5G system, and it has traditionally sat in ground-based computer rooms. This satellite can move it directly into space.
The workflow starts with the remote sensing payload, which captures images. Onboard intelligent computing modules then run target detection and recognition and extract the useful information. They convert it into network content and synchronize it to the core network through high-speed onboard interfaces. Ground users connect to the satellite network through certain terminals and can view the analyzed results in real time, much like browsing the internet.
Ren gave a ground fire as an example. In the traditional model, data must be sent down and images generated before analysis can begin. PEGA-SUS1 can analyze the remote sensing data in orbit, output fire detection results, calculate the affected area and distribute the findings quickly, without sending raw images back to Earth. Ren said this significantly reduces bandwidth use and transmission time, and that raw video and image data can still be retrieved on demand.
The mission also looks ahead. The satellite will support multiple 6G frontier technology tests in orbit. The stated aim is to move from network integration on the ground to integrated space-air-ground networks, building experience for China's next-generation communication technologies.
GalaxySpace is not new to launches. As of Sept 20, it had successfully launched more than 50 self-developed satellites. Ren said the era of the new space economy, represented by satellite internet, is arriving. The company plans to keep accelerating innovation, hold its lead in scaled manufacturing of low-cost, high-performance satellites, and provide key support for intelligent space infrastructure.
Policy is moving in the same direction. Earlier this year the China National Space Administration stressed encouraging commercial space development, with emphasis on space-based computing power and in-space manufacturing. Shan Zhongde, a vice-minister of industry and information technology and director of the CNSA, said more work will go into strategic planning and standards guidance, and into improving policies, regulations and standard systems for commercial space. He also urged full use of specialized standardization committees for civil and commercial space, and of organizations covering rockets, satellites, launch sites and frequencies. In April, the Space Computing Professional Committee was established in Beijing as China's first industry-wide coordination platform dedicated to space computing.
The market numbers are large. CCID Consulting data show China's commercial space market reached 2.83 trillion yuan ($424.8 billion) in 2025, up 21.7 percent year-on-year. The same data point to growth to 3.5 trillion yuan in 2026. The next thing to watch is what PEGA-SUS1's in-orbit tests show, including the planned 6G experiments.
Citações Notáveis
The satellite can essentially move the core network, the 'brain' of 5G networks, directly into space.— Ren Jiadong, deputy director of satellite overall technology department, GalaxySpace (paraphrased)
More efforts will be made to strengthen strategic planning and standards guidance and improve policies, regulations and standard systems for commercial space.— Shan Zhongde, CNSA Director (paraphrased)
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