SHIJIAZHUANG, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Construction on an intelligent satellite factory began in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, on Tuesday, according to its owner Commsat.

Scheduled to start production early next year, the factory is expected to annually produce more than 100 satellites weighing over 100 kg each, said Commsat, a Beijing-based private satellite company.

Commsat is the country's first commercial space enterprise to develop and operate satellites over 100 kg.

"The satellite factory will be used not only for the final assembly of satellites but also for the research and development of satellite-related technologies and applications," said Peng Yuanyuan, co-founder and president of Commsat.

The factory will introduce intelligent equipment, such as automated guided vehicles, to ensure mass production of satellites weighing 50 to 500 kg in a short period and at low cost, the company said.

In April, the National Development and Reform Commission of China listed the satellite internet as a "new infrastructure". The construction of satellite factories is expected to improve the production capacity of domestic satellites and promote the development of the satellite internet.

The company is also planning to build a satellite payload factory in the city of Yibin in the country's southwestern province of Sichuan.