China Sets New National Record with Breakthrough in Satellite-Ground Communication

China has achieved a major milestone in satellite-ground communication. A joint research team from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Beijing Rongwei Technology Co., Ltd. has successfully conducted a ground-based experiment, reaching a single-channel X-band transmission rate of 2,100 Mbps using 128QAM modulation. This marks a 75% increase over previous domestic benchmarks and sets a new national record in satellite-ground data transmission.

Jun 10, 2025

---

Chinese Scientists Release High-resolution Rice Map of Africa to Support Global Food Security

A research team from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) released Africa's first high-resolution rice distribution map at 20-meter resolution. This 2023 dataset, published in Earth System Science Data, marks a significant milestone in agricultural monitoring, providing full coverage of African countries with national-level rice cultivation areas exceeding 5,000 hectares. This study provides a critical data foundation for tracking food security across the continent and globally.

Jun 10, 2025

---

New Model Tracks Agricultural Impact on Lake Ecosystems

A recent study has unveiled an innovative data-driven model that disentangles human-induced and natural water consumption in croplands, shedding new light on the sustainability of arid lake ecosystems. By harnessing the power of remote sensing and machine learning, the research quantifies the impact of agricultural expansion on water resources, offering a crucial blueprint for balancing irrigation demands with environmental conservation. This innovation provides policymakers and conservationists with a powerful tool to mitigate water scarcity and prevent the disappearance of critical freshwater lakes.

May 22, 2025

---

New Global 1-km Dataset Tracks Cropland Water-Use Efficiency from 2001 to 2020

A research team from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has released a long-term and high-resolution dataset that tracks global cropland water-use efficiency (WUE) from 2001 to 2020. Published in Scientific Data, the dataset offers annual WUE estimates for croplands worldwide at a 1-km spatial resolution. It is expected to become a valuable resource for promoting sustainable agricultural water management.

May 15, 2025

---

New Study Maps Nanchang's Carbon Emissions with Unprecedented Detail

Researchers from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a new method for mapping carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions across Nanchang, the capital city of Jiangxi province in eastern China, providing a clearer picture of the city's carbon footprint. Their findings were recently published in the International Journal of Digital Earth.

May 08, 2025

---