The first panoramic image taken above and sent back to Earth by the Oman Lens-1, the first satellite delivered to an overseas client by Star Vision — a private company based in Hangzhou's Cloud Town in Xihu district. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

Hangzhou's Xihu district recently signed an agreement with Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co from Northeast China's Jilin province to establish its second HQ in Cloud Town, a local tech hub, with plans for it to produce 1,000 birds annually.

The project marks a major step in building a commercial aerospace hub and advancing the district's integrated "air-space-earth-sea" strategy.

As China's first commercial remote sensing satellite firm, Chang Guang has launched 219 satellites, including 117 Jilin-1 units — forming the world's largest sub-meter commercial constellation. The new base will serve as a production hub for next-gen optical satellites and manage large-scale constellation operations.

With a total planned investment of 50 billion yuan ($6.96 billion) across three phases, the first phase includes a 5.6-billion-yuan satellite super factory, a data center and a backbone network of 144 satellites.

Xihu has rapidly emerged as a key player in aerospace, nurturing a 10-billion-yuan-level industry supply chain. Local firms like Star Vision have led the way with their smart satellite payloads, while platforms like the Dongfanghong Curated Supermarket — a high-tech commercial market for aerospace products — offer one-stop satellite tech services.

What's more, the district aims to further attract upstream and downstream satellite enterprises and become a leading zone for commercial space innovation.

An exterior view of the Dongfanghong Curated Supermarket — a high-tech commercial market for aerospace products — which is a creation of the China Academy of Space Technology. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]