Space computing power has become a new direction for global competition. my country’s “Nebula Constellation Project” debuts

"Space Cloud" refers to a collaborative space-based cloud service system in orbit. It changes the traditional satellite model of "single satellite observation and data return to ground processing", allowing space-based resources to be called on demand and used immediately.

At the 2026 Space Cloud Industry Ecological Conference held yesterday, the "Nebula Constellation Project" and other space cloud industrialization results were released, marking a key step in my country's "space cloud" ecological construction from technical verification to industrialization layout.

The "Nebula Constellation Project" released this time is a full-stack domestic space computing power network jointly developed by the Aerospace Information Innovation Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and domestic science and technology enterprises. It is also a key project for the industrialization of the space cloud ecosystem. According to experts, the "space cloud" can integrate various satellites such as remote sensing, communications, and computing power into an intelligent space-based information service system through technical means, realizing the leap from a "functional single satellite" to an "intelligent nebula".

Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Wu Yirong, Academic Dean of the Institute of Aerospace Information Innovation, Chinese Academy of Sciences: "Space Cloud" ultimately provides services to users. The entire scheduling, planning, and management are implemented in space. Anyone who needs satellite services can get services, which greatly lowers the professional threshold and improves the level of professional services.

What is space computing power? To put it simply, it is to move the computing power of the data center to the satellite, turning the satellite into a "computer with wings" to directly complete data collection, processing and output in the sky. Compared with the ground, space is a unique computing environment: a steady stream of solar energy relieves power supply pressure. It is not necessary to transmit all the massive data back to the ground. After on-orbit processing, only the results are transmitted back. The bandwidth usage is greatly reduced and the response speed is greatly improved. With these unique advantages, space computing power is becoming a new direction in global computing power competition when ground data centers encounter energy consumption bottlenecks. At present, the technical level and number of my country's high-resolution remote sensing satellites in orbit have reached the international leading level, and the construction of high-throughput communication satellites has entered a period of rapid development. As the construction of a thousand-planet-scale "space cloud" ecosystem accelerates, the industrialization of the "space cloud" will greatly enhance the comprehensive application efficiency of my country's space-based resources.