Hundreds of kilometers above the Earth, a constellation of low-Earth-orbit satellites is revolutionizing the fishing industry by calculating fish movements for marine fishermen. Rather than merely transmitting raw images of vast sea areas back to Earth, these satellites now "process" the images in space, sending back only the most valuable fish-related data. This transformative capability, known as "processing before transmitting," is powered by a newly developed system—the space computing cloud.

Recently, the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) took the lead in constructing the world's first space computing cloud, offering regular on-orbit experimental services. This innovation essentially turns satellite computing power into a cloud service: organizations in need of computing resources no longer need to build and launch their own satellites. Instead, they can "install" their programs in space with a single click, and the satellites will handle the tasks. If satellites were merely "eyes" in the sky over the past two decades, they are now beginning to develop "brains."

01. Why Send Computing Power to Space?

Initially, satellites served as "eyes," capturing images, transmitting them back to Earth, and relying on ground-based processing. However, this approach has become increasingly constrained, as data transmission depends on the limited capacity of ground stations. Much of the data generated in orbit remains untransmitted, lingering in space. "The dynamic activities of marine fish populations are highly valuable economic data, but traditional satellite data processing models face efficiency bottlenecks in scenarios requiring rapid response and analysis," explained Xing Ruolin, founder of Yiwei Aerospace, a developer of space operating systems.

The solution? Instead of bringing data back to Earth for processing, why not send computing power to space? The space computing cloud comprises an on-orbit service platform, a ground station service platform, and an operational service platform. It seamlessly integrates task orchestration, computing power scheduling, and service provision among satellite platforms, space servers, ground stations, and ground data centers, achieving end-to-end automation. Users can now complete a "task application—deployment—operation—monitoring—result transmission" cycle as if using a remote computer in the sky. Professor Wang Shangguang of BUPT elaborates: space computing power serves ground users as a supplement and extension of ground computing power, while also providing an independent computing supply for space and interstellar users beyond Earth.

This system is not just theoretical. It operates on the "Algorithmic Constellation," initiated by BUPT in 2021—the world's first space computing constellation. To date, it has deployed 16 low-Earth-orbit satellites, established seven ground stations, supported over 60 organizations in conducting on-orbit experiments, and attracted researchers from more than 50 countries and regions to participate in ecosystem co-construction. This marks China's transition from "single-satellite experiments, one-time validations, and isolated technological breakthroughs" to a new phase of "platform-based operations, service-oriented provision, and ecosystem-driven development"—shifting from "can it compute?" to "how well does it work?"

02. The Distance from "Eyes" to "Brains"

Once operational, the value of space-based computing power became apparent. Scenarios such as on-orbit big data computing, 6G communications, and distributed storage have been tested, with hundreds of space computing power invocations completed, serving over a hundred users and achieving over 10% coverage in space computing services. For remote sensing, the change is revolutionary: satellites now process images while capturing them, completing disaster surveys and image interpretation in orbit and transmitting only conclusions back to Earth, saving critical time for emergency response.

A notable example is the energy efficiency of large model inference: 10 tokens per joule—a remarkable feat given the stricter constraints of onboard power supply, payload volume, and the space environment. Wang points out that this efficiency level means that, under limited computing power, the AI inference efficiency per unit of energy consumption can support the special needs of lightweight, long-duration, and continuous space operations, placing it at an advanced level among global on-orbit computing explorations.

The significance of space-based computing power also lies in fostering new growth points for satellite internet, 6G, and emergency communications. Take emergency communications as an example: when disasters strike, ground base stations may fail, but orbital computing power remains unaffected—satellites serve as both communication links and computing hubs. Leveraging the system's sustained service capabilities, new service boundaries and application scenarios are being explored for various satellite systems.

Officially, this capability can be summarized in three key aspects: building a space operating system ecosystem, transforming "one-time on-orbit experiments" into reusable and iterable platform-based services; establishing a cloud-native software operation foundation for the space environment; and achieving coordinated scheduling of satellite payloads to lay the groundwork for on-orbit real-time processing and autonomous decision-making. In simpler terms, satellites are evolving from "single-task carriers" to "networked intelligent nodes," while the space information industry is shifting from "delivering hardware" to "continuously delivering services." Eyes see, brains think—the generational gap between them represents the vast potential for the industry's next phase.

03. Installing an "Operating System" in Space

The real challenge of space-based computing power is not launching satellites but making them as user-friendly, schedulable, and iterable as ground-based clouds. At the core of the space computing cloud lies an autonomous, controllable, open, and compatible "space operating system": users can "install" their programs on the cloud with a single click, accessing satellite computing power and payloads without reinventing the wheel. For developers, this means "writing programs" and "building satellites" are now entirely separate tasks—the latter being extremely high-threshold, while the former is accessible to all. This resembles the early days of the internet—first came open platforms, then came wildly growing applications.

Around this system, the industrial landscape is rapidly taking shape. In June this year, the Beijing Space Computing Innovation Center was inaugurated in Beijing's Satellite Town, synchronized with the release of China's first open-source standard system for space operating systems, followed by the launch of the beta version of space computing services—three moves almost simultaneously: "building platforms," "setting standards," and "running services." "Currently, commercial space enterprises are all building their own infrastructure. We hope the Innovation Center's establishment will aggregate these resources into a larger-scale infrastructure," said Xing, echoing a shared aspiration in the field: to truly commercialize space computing power.

Supporting this momentum is a well-formed industrial ecosystem. Beijing is home to over 300 commercial space enterprises, accounting for more than half of the national total, with an industrial scale exceeding 100 billion yuan. From 2025 to the first quarter of this year, domestic commercial space primary market disclosures showed approximately 21.968 billion yuan in financing, with Beijing alone accounting for 12.15 billion yuan. Amid the roar of rocket launches and satellite deployments, "selling computing power" is emerging as a new business.

04. The "Next Ticket" on the Same Starting Line

The window for space computing power is opening almost simultaneously worldwide. In Wang's view, space computing power is a critical strategic capability for seizing the high ground in next-generation aerospace information infrastructure. China stands on the same starting line as pioneers like the United States, without generational gaps. "The regularization of space computing cloud services holds leading significance," he said. Looking further ahead, lunar, Martian, and even deeper space exploration will all require computing power to lead the way.

Returning to the opening scene. Fishermen don't care about the satellite's name overhead; they only care whether fish movement data reaches them faster and more accurately. When computing power truly moves to space, satellites will no longer be mere "cameras" suspended in the sky but "computing workstations" readily available at any time.

Today, the vision of "a space cloud for everyone" may still be far off, but the door has already cracked open.

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