China has successfully tested a domestically developed operating system in space, marking a significant step in reducing reliance on foreign software amid growing Western—particularly U.S.—sanctions.

Following an upgrade to the OpenHarmony real-time operating system (RTOS), the Lianli CubeSat’s subsystems achieved an impressive response time of just two microseconds, showcasing a major leap in processing speed. Developed as a lightweight, open-source offshoot of Huawei’s HarmonyOS, OpenHarmony was used aboard the Dalian-1 Lianli satellite, which has spent over 1,000 hours in orbit conducting operational tests.

Figure 1. Operating System In Space.

Launched from China’s Tiangong space station last year, the suitcase-sized satellite tested OpenHarmony’s ability to efficiently manage onboard systems under space conditions. According to researchers from Dalian and Xian, the platform delivered faster data updates and more stable operation than earlier setups that depended on simple firmware or foreign software. Figure 1 shows Operating System in Space.

In findings published in Space: Science and Technology, lead researcher Yu Xiaozhou of Dalian University of Technology stated that OpenHarmony significantly improved both response speed and system reliability. The RTOS was implemented across three essential subsystems—the magnetometer, sun sensor, and attitude control unit—which work together to determine the satellite's orientation. All three operated reliably throughout the mission.

This upgrade not only enhanced processing speed but also allowed for continuous high-rate data updates, significantly improving the satellite’s overall real-time performance.

The Lianli satellite marks a key milestone as the first Chinese microsatellite to run on both the OpenHarmony RTOS and a domestically produced chip—forming a fully home-grown hardware-software stack [1]. Chinese media have noted the broader implications of this achievement, positioning it as a viable alternative to foreign satellite operating systems on the global stage.

Building on this success, Yu’s team has proposed national technical standards to guide the integration of OpenHarmony into small satellite platforms. This effort is already fuelling adoption across commercial and research space projects in China.

Huawei’s blacklisting by the U.S. in 2019 catalysed China’s push toward technological self-reliance. In response, OpenHarmony was developed and is now managed by the Open Atom Foundation, extending its reach into space and embedded systems.

In a 2023 interview with Xinhua, Yu highlighted China’s historic dependence on foreign or open-source systems like FreeRTOS for satellite missions. While initially advantageous due to their free availability, these platforms became problematic when access to foreign chips was curtailed, undermining even open-source solutions.

Yu emphasized that these dependencies had long constrained domestic satellite innovation. Breaking free of such limitations has now become a central priority in China’s drive for technological independence.

Reference:

1. https://interestingengineering.com/space/china-home-grown-os-space-reduce-dependence

Cite this article:

Keerthana S (2025), China Successfully Tests Domestically Developed Operating System In Space to Cut Reliance on Foreign Software, AnaTechMaz, pp.466.