What Commsat does

Commsat (九天微星) is a Beijing-headquartered private Chinese LEO small satellite company founded in 2015 by former state-aerospace engineers. The company designs, manufactures, and operates small satellites (100kg to 700kg class) across communications, IoT, remote sensing, and SAR applications, and operates three primary business lines: commercial satellite customization (turnkey design-to-orbit-delivery for government and enterprise clients), constellation core services (constellation design, batch manufacturing, and operation for telecom/data operators), and industry terminal applications (vehicle/ship phased array terminals, satellite DTUs, IoT collars). A wholly-owned subsidiary, Nine Future (九天未来), runs a separate space science education brand with immersive science centers.

The company's core technology stack centers on a proprietary 100kg-class satellite platform with self-developed satellite management software (autonomous orbital prediction with <50km position estimation error) and pulsed production-line manufacturing combining AGV robots with MES systems, enabling development cycles of 5-6 months versus the traditional 12+ months. The Tangshan facility, China's first NDRC-approved private satellite factory (54 mu / 36,000 sqm, 100-satellite annual capacity), completed Phase 1 in 2021 and serves as the company's primary production hub. The technology portfolio spans cube satellites, 100kg-class platforms (Ladybug-1/Ladybug series, 2018), and a 220kg LEO broadband communication satellite (10Gbps capacity with 1-month autonomous operation), as well as SAR satellites and 5G satellite broadband payloads developed jointly with HWA CREATE.

Commsat generates revenue primarily through project-based satellite customization contracts (one-time license model) with Chinese government agencies (Ministry of Transportation, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda) and large enterprises (CIMC Group, SANY, Alibaba, HKATG, Huami, CITIC Dica). Go-to-market is direct enterprise/government field sales with industry-specific vertical teams covering logistics, transportation, environmental monitoring, smart cities, agriculture, and emergency response. The company has raised >500M RMB across 7+ funding rounds from state-aligned investors (China Internet Investment Fund, AVIC Capital, CITIC Securities, CAS Star) and private funds (SkyChee Ventures, Junzi Capital, Guofu Capital, Three Gorges Jinshi). As of 2019, annual revenue was ~100M RMB; management indicated an expected 5x revenue growth in 2021 versus 2020.

Name

Commsat

Legal name

北京九天微星科技发展有限公司

Website

https://commsat.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Commsat (九天微星) is a Beijing-based private Chinese LEO small satellite company founded in 2015 that designs, manufactures, and operates 50-700kg satellites plus ground terminals, serving Chinese government agencies and enterprises across logistics, transportation, environmental, and smart city verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Satellite Manufacturing

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Satellite Telecommunications (51741), Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336419)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Satellite Network Operations & Capacity Services (NOC, Capacity Leasing, Managed Payload Services) (HDAIAJAI), Satellite Ground Segment & Gateway Services (Teleports, Gateways, Ground Station-as-a-Service) (HDAIAJAH), Satellite Broadband Terminals & Gateways (VSAT/LEO CPE) (HDAFAIAM), Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR) (IMABACAD), Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software (IMABACAI)

Keywords

• Commercial satellite manufacturing
• Low earth orbit constellations
• Satellite ground terminals
• Satellite IoT solutions
• Space technology education

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. 商业卫星定制 (Commercial Satellite Customization): Custom satellite design, manufacturing, and in-orbit delivery services for government and enterprise clients. Includes communication satellites, remote sensing satellites, SAR satellites, and specialized satellites for various applications.
2. 星座核心服务 (Constellation Core Services): Constellation design, construction and operation services for satellite communication operators and data operators. Includes small satellite batch manufacturing, constellation方案论证 implementation, and application integration services.
3. 行业终端应用 (Industry Terminal Applications): Satellite ground terminal products and end-to-end solutions for vertical industries. Products include vehicle-mounted phased array terminals, ship-borne terminals, satellite DTU, and IoT monitoring devices. Revenue from terminal sales, software platforms, and ongoing service fees.
4. 航天科技教育 (Space Technology Education): Space science education systems including satellite courses, ground station design, research bases, and themed activities. Services for schools and educational institutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Commsat designs, manufactures, and operates low Earth orbit (LEO) small satellites and provides end-to-end satellite solutions. Core offerings include custom commercial satellite development and in-orbit delivery, constellation design and operation services, and industry-specific satellite ground terminal products (phased array terminals, satellite DTUs, IoT monitoring devices). The company also operates space science education centers under its 'No. 9 Universe' (九号宇宙) sub-brand.

Product overview

Commsat (九天微星) is a comprehensive satellite technology company offering a multi-product portfolio centered on satellite manufacturing, constellation services, and satellite applications. The core offerings include commercial satellite customization (商业卫星定制), constellation core services (星座核心服务), and industry terminal applications (行业终端应用), supported by a dedicated satellite manufacturing facility in Tangshan. The company also operates the '九号宇宙' (Space Nine) brand for space science education. Satellite products span from 100kg-class platforms like 瓢虫一号 to cube satellites, and ground terminals include vehicle-mounted and ship-mounted phased array systems, satellite DTUs, and IoT monitoring devices. The company positions itself as a full-chain satellite service provider from design to in-orbit delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 九天未来: 九天微星全资子品牌，专注于航天科技教育，主营业务集航天课程研发与服务、卫星测控站设计与建设、航天科普研学基地开发与运营、航天主题活动组织与实施于一体
• 九号宇宙
• 瓢虫一号
• 金紫荆卫星

Products and services

• Commercial Satellite Customization (商业卫星定制) Customized commercial satellite design and manufacturing services providing complete satellite development, integration, and in-orbit delivery capabilities for communication, navigation, remote sensing, and scientific research applications. Customers include government agencies and enterprises needing bespoke satellite solutions.
• Constellation Core Services (星座核心服务) Core constellation services including satellite constellation design, mass production, and constellation operation services for satellite communication and data operators. Includes small satellite batch manufacturing, constellation feasibility and implementation, and application integration services.
• Industry Terminal Applications (行业终端应用) Satellite ground terminal products and integrated network solutions for vertical industries including transportation, agriculture, energy, and smart city applications. Provides integrated space-ground network solutions for industry digital transformation.
• No. 9 Universe Space Science Education Base (九号宇宙航天科普研学基地) Space science education brand operating immersive museum experiences and science education centers featuring space technology exhibitions and hands-on learning facilities. Includes satellite course R&D, ground station design and construction, aerospace research base development, and themed activity organization for K-12 schools and educational institutions.
• Vehicle-mounted Phased Array Terminal (车载相控阵终端) Vehicle-mounted phased array terminal providing voice, data, video, and broadband network services with uplink ≥25Mbps and downlink ≥250Mbps transmission rates for vehicular communication applications.
• Ship-mounted Phased Array Terminal (船载相控阵终端) Ship-mounted phased array terminal with 0.75m and 0.45m diameter options, supporting uplink ≥250Mbps and downlink ≥500Mbps for maritime communication applications.
• Satellite DTU (卫星DTU) Satellite Data Terminal Unit based on Iridium or OGI satellite communication systems providing global coverage with SBD data services and global latency ≤1 minute for IoT and asset tracking applications.
• TianTong DTU (天通DTU) TianTong satellite-based Data Terminal Unit providing coverage across Chinese territory and adjacent sea areas within 200km, supporting satellite phone and data transmission services.
• Intelligent Animal Monitoring Collar (智能动物监测项圈) Intelligent animal monitoring collar integrating multiple sensors and communication methods with satellite and IoT connectivity, supporting Beidou high-precision positioning for wildlife tracking applications.
• 5G Digital Regenerative Communication Satellite (5G数字再生通信卫星) 5G-based digital regenerative communication satellite with on-board processing and transparent relay modes, supporting phased array antennas and satellite laser communication for space networking.
• Synthetic Aperture Radar Satellite (合成孔径雷达卫星) Low-cost, miniaturized SAR satellite with high resolution imaging, interferometric height measurement, and deformation monitoring capabilities for all-weather earth observation.
• Laser IoT Communication Satellite (激光物联网通信卫星) Satellite combining laser broadband and narrowband IoT communication capabilities with inter-satellite links and space networking support for massive IoT data collection applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Vehicle accident rate decreased by 10%, container loss rate decreased by over 40% in border vehicle monitoring and ocean container logistics tracking applications.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor, major and core.

• 电子科技大学minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2022Education partnership through Yibin production-education integration training base. Cooperation in innovation experiment platform building, talent training, and satellite industry demonstration applications.
• 港航科(深圳)空间技术有限公司 (HKATG)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2021Joint development of 金紫荆卫星二号 successfully launched October 14, 2021. Part of Golden Bauhinia Constellation project focusing on smart city applications in Greater Bay Area.
• 华力创通 (HWA CREATE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2021Strategic cooperation framework agreement signed in April 2021. Both parties leveraging respective strengths to conduct in-depth cooperation on satellite internet new technology research, ground terminal R&D, and commercial aerospace industrialization. Jointly promoting key technology innovation upgrades and expanding satellite application market. In 2022, jointly won bid for Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission's 'New Generation Information and Communication Technology Innovation' research project focusing on 5G satellite broadband communication payload.
• 阿里巴巴 (Alibaba)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2020Collaboration on elephant protection project in Yunnan. Development of satellite IoT collars with BeiDou positioning, short message reporting, and NB-IoT for human-elephant conflict resolution.
• 中国信通院 (China Academy of Information and Communications Technology)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 April 2020Cooperation agreement signed April 4, 2020. Focus on satellite communication with cooperation in technology research, standard setting, application demonstration and market promotion.
• 中集集团 (CIMC Group)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2019Comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement signed February 26, 2019. Focus on multi-level, wide-ranging cooperation to empower logistics industry intelligent transformation and build smart logistics ecosystem.
• 中国大熊猫保护研究中心 (China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Panda)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2017Agreement signed November 1, 2017. Full cooperation in giant panda resource protection, scientific research, public education through IoT applications for wild panda monitoring, habitat studies, and conservation education.
• 哈萨克斯坦国家航天机构 (Kazakhstan National Space Administration)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2016MoU signed December 12, 2016. Kazakhstan as first stop for Belt and Road Shared Satellite Constellation Initiative.
• 四川新能源汽车创新中心有限公司minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation on atmospheric carbon concentration monitoring through remote sensing temporal-spatial data and IoT integration for carbon neutrality platform.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Galaxy Space (银河航天): Chinese private LEO satellite broadband company that launched the country's first privately-developed 5G satellite and is building its own LEO broadband constellation. Most direct competitor to Commsat in commercial LEO communications and satellite manufacturing within China.
• Chang Guang Satellite Technology (长光卫星): China's largest commercial remote sensing satellite operator with the Jilin-1 constellation of 100+ satellites. Comparable to Commsat in commercial satellite manufacturing, EO/remote sensing payloads, and direct-to-customer constellation services in the Chinese market.
• Spacety (星众空间): China-based small satellite manufacturer and operator offering SAR, EO, and IoT satellite services. Closely comparable to Commsat in small satellite design, batch manufacturing, and vertical-industry terminal applications.
• PIESAT (航天宏图): Chinese listed company operating the PIE-Engine satellite remote sensing platform with proprietary SAR and EO satellites. Comparable to Commsat in satellite-based environmental monitoring, remote sensing data services, and government/enterprise customer base.
• Orbita Aerospace (欧比特): Chinese listed aerospace company operating the OHS high-resolution EO satellite constellation ("珠海一号") and providing satellite IoT chips/modules. Comparable to Commsat in satellite manufacturing, EO constellation operations, and IoT terminal hardware.
• HEAD Aerospace (和德宇航): China-headquartered small satellite operator providing global maritime AIS, IoT, and EO services. Comparable to Commsat in smallsat constellation services, IoT terminal distribution, and Chinese government/enterprise customer focus.
• Satellogic: Latin American-founded small satellite EO operator building a sub-meter resolution constellation with proprietary spacecraft design and manufacturing. Comparable to Commsat in vertically-integrated smallsat manufacturing and constellation-based EO analytics for government and enterprise customers.

Broad incumbents

• Planet Labs: Global leader in commercial EO satellite constellations (PlanetScope, SkySat) and a publicly listed broad incumbent. Comparable to Commsat in commercial smallsat-based EO data services and serves as a benchmark for cost-disciplined constellation operations.
• China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC): China's state-owned primary contractor for launch vehicles, satellites, and manned spaceflight, operating the bulk of China's national satellite programs. Sets the competitive ceiling for Commsat and is the dominant incumbent across satellite manufacturing, broadband constellations, and government procurement.

Emerging players

• Swarm Technologies: US-based (now SpaceX-owned) operator of the world's largest commercial IoT satellite constellation using low-cost smallsats. Comparable to Commsat in IoT-focused LEO constellation services and satellite-based data terminal products for logistics, agriculture, and asset tracking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors11 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Commsat