China Launches International Earth-Moon Cube Constellation Science Program

China has officially launched the International Earth-Moon Cube Constellation Program, establishing a satellite network in the space between Earth and the Moon. Announced at the 2026 Deep Space Exploration (Tiandu) International Conference, the initiative aims to fill a global gap in systematic observation of this region.

The program plans to deploy multiple small satellites, each weighing no more than 30 kilograms, into various orbits within the Earth-Moon space. A total of 30 12U cubesat satellites will be launched in six phases, with the full deployment targeted for completion around 2030.

Upon completion, the constellation is expected to transition Earth-Moon space exploration from sporadic, single-point measurements to a networked, continuous observation system. This will provide crucial data for the safety of crewed lunar missions and for cutting-edge scientific research on the space environment.

The project is co-initiated by the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory and the International Society for Deep Space Exploration, with support from the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization. Key cooperation principles include joint design, free payload hosting, shared costs, and open data sharing. Several countries, including Thailand, Serbia, Egypt, Senegal, and Indonesia, have already joined the program.