According to the contract signed on March 31, 2017, the Suzhou Research Institute of Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics (SITP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) will be engaged in research and development of products for multifunctional loading of small satellites, remote sensing data application and key loading components for commercial spaceflight projects. It will first focus on small satellite remote sensing services for agriculture (precision agriculture and agricultural insurance) and commercial meteorological projects.

By 2020,CAS SITP Suzhou Research Institute is expected to incorporate a light-small key component production and research center, a general optoelectronic system dispatch and assembly center, a space test center and a demonstration andverification center. Thus an independent comprehensive system with research, manufacturing, dispatch, demonstration and verification functions will take shape.In addition,a remote sensing application and incubation center will be established to develop products for meteorological, land resource, environmental protection and agricultural projects.

The institute plans to introduce at least 100 research talents (including two under the national Thousand Talents program) within three years. It strives to put two multifunctional hyper-spectral detection and multi-spectral imaging loaders into orbitoperation for demonstration and small-range commercial application.