Graduation from space: students in Changchun took photos with an orbiting satellite
Ahead of the annual university graduation ceremony, a group of students from Changchun, Jilin Province in northeast China, recently had the opportunity to have their graduation photos taken by an orbiting satellite, creating unique memories and unforgettable experiences. When a satellite travelling at several kilometres per second captures your graduation photo, the boundary between earth and sky blurs. Thousands of students across China don caps and gowns every year, but only these students from Changchun could see themselves from hundreds of kilometres above. Their photo is not just a picture. It is a reminder that technology makes possible what seemed like science fiction just yesterday.
After signing an agreement with a local satellite service provider, students from Changchun University of Technology allowed the Jilin 1 satellite, orbiting hundreds of kilometres above the Earth's surface, to take their photos. For the shoot, students from the journalism and communications faculty held blue boards bearing the university abbreviation and Chinese characters for their faculty. Yang Yuanming, one of the students involved, said: "The orbiting satellite moves at several kilometres per second, yet it was able to recognise a tiny playground to take this graduation photo for us. I find it absolutely incredible."
On the day of the shoot, the university collaborated with Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company to ensure the Jilin 1 satellite would capture the image of the characters as it passed over the playground. Satellite photography requires advance submission of orbital parameters and meteorological data, as well as precise calculation of the time window for the satellite's pass over the site and targeting at the required moment. Pan Shuaiyong, an employee of Changguang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd., explained: "Our satellite constellation is expanding, and its technological capabilities are constantly improving.
Equipped with optical cameras, the satellites can capture the entire campus in a single shot. Re visit efficiency and image resolution have improved significantly. Graduation photography from space has now become a long term business for our company, and dozens of universities across the country have signed up with us free of charge."
The Jilin 1 satellite is part of China's commercial remote sensing satellite constellation, launched by Chang Guang Satellite Technology. The constellation is actively used for agricultural monitoring, urban planning and even educational projects. Graduation shoots from orbit are an example of how high technology is becoming accessible in everyday life. Precise calculation of timing and trajectory allows the satellite to photograph a target with a resolution of up to 0.5 metres. The project has already covered dozens of universities across China, turning space based photography into a new trend.
As reported by CCTV+, the images taken by the satellite have already been delivered to the students, and the university plans to continue its cooperation with the company next year.
