The "Dafo" spacecraft's launch into commercial spaceflight has enabled the use of quantitative remote sensing to create a protective map of "golden edges and silver corners."

At 12:12 PM on March 16, 2026, a carrier rocket streaked across the sky from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, precisely sending the "Xiguang-1 06 Satellite (Dafu)" into its predetermined orbit. This hyperspectral remote sensing satellite, independently developed by Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics CAS Aerospace Science and Technology Group Co.,LTD, is not an ordinary "space photographer," but a pair of "intelligent eyes" capable of deciphering the "spectral code" of the Earth.

Its gaze is fixed on those once inaccessible "golden edges and silver corners"—from the quality of a tea plantation to the health of a river or lake, and the safety of a marginal mining area. At this crucial moment, with the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference just concluded and the 15th Five-Year Plan just beginning, the launch of this satellite not only represents another leap forward in China's commercial aerospace technology capabilities, but also, through its qualitative transformation "from seeing to understanding," injects technological safeguarding power from space into the details of high-quality development and China's modernization.

As the only operational commercial remote sensing satellite in China covering the 400–2500nm full spectrum, it provides comprehensive perception, revealing the true nature of matter. Empowering all areas, it supports agriculture, forestry, water resources, and mining, defining a new benchmark for commercial hyperspectral remote sensing in China. The ultimate goal of aerospace technology development is to improve life, and the value of remote sensing satellites lies in enabling "what couldn't be done before, can now be done." This is precisely the core essence of new productive forces from a space perspective—upgrading data from "reference information" to a measurable, assessable, and decision-making core production factor.

The core breakthrough of the "Xiguang-1 06" satellite lies in its fully independent and controllable end-to-end system. First, the entire chain, from core payloads to the satellite platform, was developed in-house, representing a key breakthrough in integrated spaceborne design and eliminating external dependence on core components. Second, its quantitative analysis capabilities, with a wide-spectrum, high-precision payload design, have enabled hyperspectral remote sensing to move from "qualitative analysis only" to "precise quantitative analysis." Third, the fundamental reshaping of the decision-making chain, with quantification, has allowed remote sensing to achieve a qualitative leap from "assisting decision-making" to "leading decision-making." This means that this "space-based eye" can not only tell us "what's there," but also accurately analyze "what substances are there," "how they are growing," "whether they are healthy," and "whether there are any hidden dangers." It has achieved a qualitative leap in Earth observation from "morphological identification" to "compositional analysis," providing unprecedented technical means for quantitative environmental assessment and resource surveys.

What are "golden edges and silver corners"? They usually refer to those areas that are located on the periphery, have complex terrain, are difficult to cover by traditional means, but contain high value and are related to the bottom line of ecology—high mountain forest areas, hillside special crop areas, remote water bodies, and marginal mining areas.

The value of "Xiguang-1 06" lies in its precise protection of these areas.

Satellites act as "aerial quality inspectors" for specialty agriculture. In Leshan, Sichuan, and the vast mountainous regions of Southwest China, cash crops such as tea and medicinal herbs are mostly grown on slopes and hills. By analyzing the spectral characteristics of crops, satellites can accurately monitor growth, predict yields, provide early warnings of pests and diseases, and even assist in quality assessment, providing data support for turning "local specialties" into "golden opportunities."

Satellites act as "scouts" for the health of rivers and lakes. Targeting water bodies with unique geological features in the southwest region, as well as sewage outlets and early algal blooms, satellites can track spectral traces that are difficult to detect by conventional methods, providing irrefutable evidence for river and lake management and environmental protection supervision.

Satellites serve as "early warning signals" for geological disasters. In marginal mining areas, satellites monitor mineral distribution and mining disturbances to prevent secondary disasters such as landslides and collapses, safeguarding the bottom line of safe production.

A "monitor" for forestry ecology. By capturing subtle spectral changes in the early stages of forest pests and diseases, it enables early warning before they are detected by the naked eye, thus protecting our ecological heritage of green mountains and clear waters.

This "space-based data + local governance" model is creating a replicable regional customized service paradigm, bringing previously "invisible, intangible, and unmanageable" corners into the scope of refined governance.

"Xiguang-1 06" is the 11th member of the "Xiguang Series" hyperspectral remote sensing constellation. According to the plan, the constellation is scheduled to complete the networking of 158 satellites by 2030, building a high-timeliness, hyperspectral, and multi-source collaborative observation system covering the globe.

The Leshan Giant Buddha, a World Heritage Site standing for millennia, bears witness to the profoundness and piety of Chinese civilization; while the "Giant Buddha" satellite, these "eyes in space" gazing upon the earth, embodies the dream and responsibility of a technologically advanced nation. Their encounter is a heartfelt handshake between millennia of cultural heritage and cutting-edge technology. The Xiguang-1 06 satellite, named after the "Giant Buddha," is not only a tribute to outstanding traditional Chinese culture but also symbolizes modern technology's role in protecting all living beings. Accurately identifying forest health, tracking water pollution, and assessing geological prospecting, it transforms the ancient spirit of protection into concrete action using modern technology. With its hyperspectral vision, it safeguards every inch of land and every resource. It brings cutting-edge aerospace technology out of the laboratory and into ordinary people's lives, providing protective power from space for ecological conservation, agricultural development, and disaster early warning.

From the Leshan Giant Buddha's millennia-long gaze to the "Giant Buddha" spacecraft's journey through space, this represents a cross-sector collaboration between a world-class cultural IP and commercial aerospace, as well as the strongest cross-sector integration between cultural tourism landmarks and aerospace technology. This relay across time and space exemplifies the enduring vitality of Chinese civilization in upholding tradition and innovating, and opens up entirely new possibilities for the revitalization and utilization of world heritage and the dissemination of aerospace culture.

From gazing at the stars to protecting fertile land, China's commercial aerospace industry is forging a new path of deep integration between technological self-reliance and high-quality development through pragmatic explorations like the "Xi'an Lighting series." Those once silent "golden edges and silver corners" are now shining brightly under the watchful eye of space.

As emphasized in the government work report, it is necessary to "deepen the development and utilization of data resources and improve the basic system for data elements." The future "AI + hyperspectral computing power constellation" will create the most powerful and practical space computing power, achieving a deeper integration of space data with ground-based needs. This not only showcases China's independent and controllable commercial aerospace capabilities and system networking capabilities, but also vividly demonstrates how aerospace technology can empower the digital economy, ecological civilization construction, and the national strategy of rural revitalization.