From Mars to the moon: the computer system behind China’s space missions

Chinese researchers developed the Kylin operating system to replace the Western products the country relied on. Sending it into space meant combining security, reliability and performance, engineers say. — SCMP

Whether it is China’s rover on Mars, its space station orbiting the Earth or its moon probe bringing back lunar samples, one little-known system is behind them all.

The core of the Kylin computer operating system has been guarded as a national secret and its use in the country’s space programme has only just been officially confirmed.