ATmoto launches first satellite of China's Gande debris-tracking constellation
ATmoto Technology · Liangxi Aerospace Technology Group
ATmoto's Gande-01, per Xinhua, is China's first commercial space debris monitoring satellite in a planned 120-satellite network.
what happened
ATmoto Technology and Liangxi Aerospace Technology Group launched Gande-01, described by Xinhua as China's first commercial space debris monitoring satellite, aboard a Lijian-1 rocket from the Dongfeng Commercial Aerospace Innovation Test Area on July 24. The satellite carries a wide-field survey camera and a high-resolution camera to catalog debris across low, medium, and high orbits. It is the first of a planned 120-satellite Gande constellation, to be built in three phases (14, then 36, then 70 satellites) with full deployment targeted before 2030, per Xinhua and China Daily.
why it matters
China now has a dedicated commercial constellation building toward independent space-traffic-management data, reducing reliance on government-run catalogs for collision-avoidance and debris tracking. As the network scales toward 120 satellites, it could give Chinese commercial operators an alternative space situational awareness data source alongside existing government and foreign providers.
for who
space situational awareness and satellite operators
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- ATmoto Technology, Liangxi Aerospace Technology Group
- Category
- constellation
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-07-24
- Published
- 2026-07-26 17:27 UTC