Leading the Way with Chang Guang Satellite as "Hidden Champions" Cluster

Changchun New Area is stepping up efforts to advance the planning and construction of "China's Optoelectronics City", according to its Optoelectronic Information Industry Office. Anchored in a one-square-kilometer core area within the Beihu Development Zone, the initiative centers on emerging sectors such as commercial aerospace and embodied intelligence to expedite the clustering of new quality productive forces and build a highland for the optoelectronic information industry with global competitiveness.

Liu Tie, Deputy Director of the Optoelectronic Information Industry Office, noted that as the core carrier of Changchun's optoelectronic information industry, Changchun New Area is gaining a leading edge in several of the city's six optoelectronic information industrial clusters. These include satellite technology and applications, optoelectronic materials and displays, optoelectronic sensing and instrumentation, as well as laser technology and applications.

At present, Changchun New Area has attracted a strong lineup of high-performing enterprises in the optoelectronic information sector: Chang Guang Satellite's "Jilin-1" satellite constellation now comprises 144 satellites, making it the world's largest commercial sub-meter-resolution remote-sensing satellite constellation. Changguang Boxiang has developed the world's first dual-wing vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) UAV featuring a hybrid fixed-wing and multi-rotor design, which has received a special airworthiness certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. OLED emissive materials produced by OLED Material Tech Co., Ltd. rank among the top three in the domestic market, while Cedar Electronics' flip-chip COB small-pitch display technology leads globally. Champion Optics dominates the spectral filter market with an 85% share, and Yongli Laser holds the top position nationwide among suppliers of carbon dioxide lasers.

In this group of standout players, Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd. (Chang Guang Satellite) is an undisputed strong performer. Jia Hongguang, Deputy Party Secretary and Deputy General Manager of Chang Guang Satellite, shared the company's latest performance results: in 2025, it developed and launched 24 satellites, sold 18 to clients, and achieved revenue exceeding RMB 1 billion—a record high. In 2026, the company plans to launch nearly 30 satellites and strives to increase revenue by a further 20% year-on-year.

"Last year's record revenue was driven in large part by data services, which accounted for more than half of total income. This is something we have long anticipated," said Jia, adding that the milestone marks the company's shift in focus from satellite manufacturing to aerospace data services as its core profit-making model. After more than a decade of development, Chang Guang Satellite has not only established itself as a domestic leader in satellite manufacturing but also achieved a qualitative leap in data applications. Its ecosystem now supports over a thousand upstream and downstream enterprises, delivering precise, efficient aerospace information services across agriculture, forestry, environmental protection, and urban governance.

Beyond its strong presence in government and industry applications, Chang Guang Satellite is actively expanding into the To C (consumer-facing) market, bringing aerospace technology closer to everyday life. "Our goal is to develop user-friendly applications that integrate into daily life, allowing ordinary people to truly experience the convenience brought by advances in space technology. The company has already assembled a dedicated team to explore and promote such initiatives," said Jia Hongguang.

Chang Guang Satellite's robust growth mirrors the increasingly sound optoelectronic information industry ecosystem in Changchun New Area. Significant progress has already been made in the development of "China's Optoelectronics City". Changchun New Area is deepening cooperation with CEC Optics Valley to bring in industrial resources and advanced operational expertise. Moreover, it is innovating institutional mechanisms and plans to establish a specialized optoelectronics group to drive ecosystem development through market-oriented approaches. In terms of industrial layout, Changchun New Area will focus on key tracks such as commercial aerospace optical systems and embodied intelligent hardware. Leveraging leading enterprises, including Jiyi Embodied Intelligence, the Bionic Robotics Innovation Center, and the FAW Robotics Project, along with the Intelligent Robotics and Sensor Industrial Park, it seeks to build an industrial chain spanning R&D, manufacturing, and real-world application scenarios.

According to Liu Tie, in the next phase, Changchun New Area will map out a precise industrial blueprint and closely integrate core research resources such as the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics (CIOMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Jilin University. By partnering with leading enterprises along the industrial chain to attract targeted investment, Changchun New Area will advance the high-quality development of "China's Optoelectronics City", thereby providing strong support for Changchun's optoelectronic information industry to reach the 100-billion-yuan mark and contribute to China's broader goals of technological self-reliance.

Source: Jilin Daily  Editor: Liu Jiadi