China launched this Friday (11) morning what it claims to be the first “6G test satellite”.
According to a Facebook publication made by the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, the Star Era-12 (also called UESTC in reference to the educational institution) will perform terahertz load tests and experiment with terahertz communication in space.
It is also expected to be used in smart city construction, disaster prevention and mitigation, territorial planning, environmental protection, and monitoring of major infrastructure construction.
Weighing 70 kg (154 lbs), the UESTC satellite will establish a transceiver link in order to carry the tests. It was built in partnership with ADASpace, a private Chinese company.
“Terahertz communication has the advantages of rich spectrum resources, high transmission rate and easy integration of communication and sensing. It has important application prospects in the field of ground and space communication, and is one of the key technologies of the global sixth generation mobile communication (6G),” the university said in the statement.
Along with the UESTC, China sent 12 more satellites to space in the same launch
