China has achieved a monumental advancement in space infrastructure with the successful commissioning of its northernmost satellite data receiving facility in Mohe, Heilongjiang province. The strategically positioned Mohe Satellite Data Receiving Station, developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Aerospace Information Research Institute, commenced full operations on December 12, marking a technological breakthrough in the nation’s Earth observation capabilities.
Station director Shi Shengpu and his team are preparing to celebrate their first Spring Festival at the revolutionary facility, which represents China’s highest-latitude satellite reception installation. The station’s unique geographical positioning has expanded China’s satellite reception coverage by approximately 4 million square kilometers, dramatically enhancing observational capabilities in polar and high-latitude regions.
The cutting-edge facility features three sophisticated satellite data receiving systems capable of processing S/X dual-band and dual-polarization data. Each system handles an average of more than 24 satellite tracks daily, supporting data reception for 25 national land observation satellites across multiple series including resource monitoring, environmental disaster reduction, and high-resolution imaging.
By the end of 2025, the station had demonstrated exceptional performance metrics, successfully receiving data from 36,001 satellite tracks and acquiring over 1,775 terabytes of data with a remarkable success rate exceeding 99.79%. The facility boasts near-real-time transmission capabilities, fully automated reception systems, and extends daily reception time for single polar-orbiting satellites by approximately 24 minutes—a 20% increase in operational efficiency.
This technological marvel significantly improves China’s capacity for critical applications including land surveys, environmental protection, weather forecasting, and disaster monitoring. The development, which required over three years of construction effort, positions China at the forefront of satellite data reception technology with key technical indicators reaching international advanced standards.