China launches 30 CubeSats to monitor space weather between Earth and moon

China has begun an international effort to deploy a three-dimensional satellite constellation between Earth and the moon that will observe solar activity and study powerful cosmic explosions, according to the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory leading the initiative.

30 CubeSats to map cislunar frontier

The project will send 30 backpack-sized CubeSats into highly elliptical orbits around Earth over the next four years, the laboratory announced on Friday. The constellation aims to "fill a global gap in systematic observations of cislunar space," with partners from Egypt, Indonesia, Senegal, Serbia and Thailand already participating.

A second CubeSat group will orbit the moon to search for lunar resources, though the laboratory has not released further details about that component.

Tracking space weather across 2 million km

Cislunar space, the region stretching from low-Earth orbit to about 2 million km from Earth, represents "a new frontier for human activity and a key region for future crewed missions to the moon and the construction of lunar bases," the laboratory said.

Scientists have historically depended on single spacecraft to study this vast expanse, leaving large areas unmonitored. The multi-satellite approach will allow researchers to track energetic particles and magnetic disturbances from the sun simultaneously from different vantage points as they move through the region, revealing how space weather evolves.

The network addresses a strategic gap in space observation infrastructure as multiple nations accelerate plans for sustained lunar presence and deeper cislunar operations.

Source: South China Morning Post