Wafricnews - June 22, 2025

In a bold leap toward technological self-sufficiency, China has successfully tested its first domestically developed real-time operating system (RTOS) in space — a move designed to reduce dependence on foreign software amid tightening Western sanctions.

The milestone was achieved aboard the Dalian-1 Lianli CubeSat, a compact satellite deployed from China’s Tiangong space station. For over 1,000 hours, the microsatellite ran critical systems powered by OpenHarmony, an open-source RTOS version of Huawei’s HarmonyOS, designed specifically for embedded and space applications.

Led by Professor Yu Xiaozhou of the Dalian University of Technology, the experiment demonstrated significant gains in speed and reliability. The satellite’s key subsystems — including its magnetometer, sun sensor, and attitude unit — showed dramatic improvements, responding to commands in as little as two microseconds, a leap from previous configurations.

Published in the journal Space: Science and Technology, the results showed that OpenHarmony provided faster data updates and more stable performance compared to earlier systems that used foreign firmware or simplified firmware-only setups.

“This marks a turning point for China’s space engineering,” said Professor Yu. “We’re proving that domestically built operating systems and chips can match or even surpass imported alternatives.”

The Lianli mission also made history as the first to combine both a Chinese-built chip and operating system in a space environment — signalling a major win for China’s homegrown tech ecosystem.

Huawei’s shift toward internal solutions began in earnest after its 2019 blacklisting by the U.S. government. The ban cut the company off from American technology and forced a pivot toward indigenous innovation. OpenHarmony, now stewarded by the OpenAtom Foundation, is at the heart of this push — extending from smartphones and IoT to aerospace.

Professor Yu noted that many of China’s earlier satellite missions depended heavily on foreign open-source operating systems like FreeRTOS. While useful in their time, those systems became problematic as chip access was restricted and geopolitical tensions rose.

“What once was freely available became limited or obsolete in the face of sanctions,” he said. “It’s not just about software — it’s about long-term sustainability and control.”

In response to the Lianli mission’s success, Yu and his team have proposed new national technical standards for incorporating OpenHarmony into future small-satellite programs. The aim is to fast-track adoption across both government and commercial sectors, ensuring that more Chinese spacecraft fly with entirely domestic systems in the near future.

As OpenHarmony gains traction in space tech, it represents more than a software triumph — it is a symbol of China's broader push for digital sovereignty in an increasingly divided global tech landscape.

By Wafricnews Desk.