Technology
China plans to construct a $3 billion supercomputer to analyze data from space.
According to state media on Tuesday, China's southern space port of Wenchang will construct a $3 billion supercomputing center by year's end to analyze data collected from space.
According to Reuters, the supercomputing center will provide big data services for industries such as aerospace and marine beginning in 2022, with a projected investment of $3.1 billion, according to the state-backed Hainan Daily.
China envisions vast constellations of commercial satellites in the next decade, capable of providing services ranging from high-speed internet for planes to monitoring coal shipments.
China would have to build bigger rockets that can hold more satellites, or build more launch sites, or both, to meet the demand for satellite launches. China currently has four launch sites: three inland and one in the Hainan province of Wenchang.
The government announced earlier this month that it will construct a new commercial space base in Hainan to meet rising demand for launches.
Hainan's international collaboration on launching commercial satellites and payloads, as well as research and development in commercial spaceflight, is also supported by the government.
