Shanghai (ZXZC)- Zhejiang Geely Holding Group said on April 24 it will launch two satellites into low orbit by the end of this year, as part of the plan to build its own satellite network that will enable greater navigation for autonomous vehicles.

The company has so far produced two satellites and completed the verification of all performance metrics pending additional environmental tests, such as simulating the vibration as the rocket rises and checking the satellite's running status under a temperature of -270℃. The test that integrates a satellite and a rocket will be conducted in June this year.

Then the two satellites will be brought to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province for launching, carried by Kuaizhou rockets developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The satellites will be able to provide centimeter-accurate positioning.

Lynk & Co, a Chinese-Swedish automobile brand owned by Geely Holding, announced at the same time the kick-off of the two-satellite launching project with GEESPACE, a subsidiary of Geely Technology Group.

GEESPACE is recruiting a rocket chief engineer, according to a recruitment advertisement posted by a blogger via his Sina Weibo account. The information was confirmed by Yang Xueliang, vice president of Geely Auto Group, on April 18.

The subsidiary will also introduce an open AI platform, OmniCloud, to utilize the high-precision positioning data collected from the satellites and the industrial Internet to support future mobility, intelligent manufacturing, unmanned drone flights and urban management, among other applications.

In 2018, Geely pumped its strategic investment in GEESPACE, which focuses on the R&D of satellite communications system, and technologies about communications and data processing, starting the building of its space-ground integrated mobility ecosystem.

Geely Technology Group, the technology development arm of Geely Holding, celebrated on Mar. 2 the first spade cut for a satellite R&D base in Taizhou, Zhejiang province, which is part of the plans Geely set for its ambition to build a multi-layered mobility ecosystem and turbo-charge its shift to being an innovative technology company (photo source: Geely Holding's WeChat account).