(Yicai Global) March 6 -- China is developing medium- to high-orbit quantum communications satellites that will be combined with the low-orbit ones to form a wide quantum communications network, according to a Chinese scholar.

Pan Jianwei and his team are working with the National Space Science Center to develop the satellites, the member of the nation's top political advisory body said during an interview at China's Two Sessions on March 4.

The team launched the world's first quantum science experiment satellite, the Micius, in 2016. But it only covers a small part of the globe and has a short working time because of its low orbit, being at an altitude of 500 kilometers.

Compared with their lower orbit counterpart, the medium- and high-orbit quantum satellites cover larger area of the global, thus allowing them transmitting encrypt data in longer distance, and working more efficiently. it can also be used to test the basic principle of quantum mechanics in further way.

Pan is also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the executive vice president of the University of Science and Technology of China.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Martin Kadiev