China’s National Intelligence Law binds commercial satellite data holders

According to Tech Times, China promulgated the National Intelligence Law on June 27, 2017. Article 7 obliges every organization and citizen to assist state intelligence efforts and keep known intelligence work confidential.

Tech Times said Article 14 lets national intelligence organs call for required support, assistance, and cooperation from any organization or person. The statute binds Galactic Energy because it is incorporated in Beijing, and it reaches every Chinese company operating satellites launched by Galactic Energy, including Yunyao Aerospace and Beijing Juntian Aerospace Technology.

The outlet reported that private companies, overseas subsidiaries, and data processed outside China receive no exemption. No provision lets a Chinese company refuse an intelligence demand based on a customer privacy-policy commitment, and no contractual privacy promise by a Chinese operator can override the statutory intelligence obligation. The duty applies regardless of a company’s good faith or written commitments.

Anyone purchasing Yunyao atmospheric data, Juntian SAR imagery, or Tianqi IoT data should understand that the Chinese government may require access at any time without telling the public. Tech Times also found no independent security audit of Galactic Energy’s data-handling practices.

The intelligence law works with two newer statutes. The 2017 Cybersecurity Law adds data-localization duties for critical information infrastructure operators, and the 2021 Data Security Law requires all data processors in China to cooperate with government data security activities.

Galactic Energy’s Ceres-2 Y3 lifted off from Launch Area 95A at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 23:37 UTC on November 6, 2026, which was 7:37 a.m. Beijing time on November 7. The vehicle placed four satellites into a 535-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. Galactic Energy said all four were in orbit soon after liftoff. The success came after a January 17, 2026 maiden-flight failure that destroyed the vehicle and its payload.

According to Tech Times, Yunyao-1 28 joins Yunyao Aerospace’s expanding weather constellation, and the Tianjin-based company plans 90 satellites in total. Its nano-satellites operate with GNSS Radio Occultation and GNSS Reflectometry payloads to gather atmospheric and ionospheric data supporting ocean observation, magnetic storm monitoring, and weather forecasting. GNSS-RO derives temperature, pressure, and water-vapor profiles by tracking how navigation signals bend through the atmosphere. China’s national weather agency first used commercial small-satellite data in operations in early 2025.

Also aboard were Juntian-1 06A, part of an X-band radar constellation operated by Beijing Juntian Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd., which was founded in 2021. X-band SAR operates at 8 to 12 GHz with about 2.5 to 4 centimeters wavelength, and from orbit its imagery resolution supports disaster response, vessel tracking, and infrastructure monitoring. Zhongbei Daxue-1 is a technology demonstration satellite from North University of China in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, and Guanlan Shiyan is an experimental Earth observation satellite whose name means to observe the waves.

Galactic Energy’s key commercial customers are mainly Chinese, including Guodian Gaoke’s Tianqi IoT constellation and Yunyao Aerospace, Tech Times said. ITAR blocks most Western satellite components from Chinese launch vehicles and most Western operators from contracting Chinese providers, effectively excluding Galactic Energy from many parts of the global commercial launch market. China recorded 92 orbital launches in 2025, setting a national record, and aims for about 140 launches in 2026.