China develops communications satellite tech edge

China has become a leader in the cutting-edge technology of space-based, high-speed information transmission thanks to an advanced satellite, according to the National Space Administration.

The Shijian 13 communication satellite has conducted the world's first experiment on high-orbit laser communication, a technology crucial to enabling a spacecraft to send, receive and transmit a large quantity of data with ground stations, the administration said in a statement on Tuesday.

The experiment was one of the 11 technological demonstration programs made by Shijian 13, which is orbiting nearly 40,000 kilometers above the Earth, since it was lifted atop a Long March 3B carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province in April. It proved that the satellite is capable of carrying out steady, high-speed and high-quality transmission of information with the ground.