Image: Geely Holding Corp.
What’s New: Chinese auto maker Geely launching even more navigation satellites.
Why It’s Important:
- Geely has a close relationship with China’s military.
- The satellites have more capability than PNT. So… probably more than navigating autonomous vehicles going on here.
- It is another step toward a much larger constellation of satellites.
- It endorses and reinforces the concept of PNT at LEO.
What Else to Know: LEO PNT systems will be proprietary. In other words
- Users will almost certainly need unique receivers or decryption codes
- They will be fee-based
- Systems will not be interoperable. Users with access to one system will not automatically be able to use all.
- There are at least two LEO PNT companies in the U.S. – RNTF members Xona Space Systems and Trustpoint. Neither is as far along as Geely.
Geely Launches 11 Satellites to Navigate Autonomous Vehicles
LEO constellation to offer positioning and navigation capabilities…
Saying it wants to provide accurate navigation for autonomous vehicles, Geely Holding Group last week launched 11 Geespace low-Earth orbit satellites. It’s an example of new LEO constellations providing high-precision positioning capability for self-driving cars and other uses.
Location Business News reported in 2022 that Geely launched nine satellite into LEO that would support navigation and autonomous driving. Both launches are part of a future 240-satellite Geely Future Mobility Constellation, which will provide centimeter-accurate precise positioning and connectivity support for the automaker, the company said.
