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On Tuesday, August 6, China reached a milestone in their space program, successfully launching the first 18 Satellites in what they plan to become a satellite constellation, competing with SpaceX’s Starlink.
The launch is the first batch of satellites to be launched as part of a program called the “Thousand Sails Constellation” by the Chinese-state-owned company Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), aiming to create global internet network, and eventually deploying over 15,000 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites by 2030.108 satellites are planned to be launched this year alone, and by the end of 2025, 648 satellites should be deployed. The company plans to achieve global network coverage by 2027.
The altitudes LEO satellites orbit in are between 300 and 2,000 km above the Earth’s surface and are considered an efficient and more inexpensive solution to satellites in higher orbits.
In February this year, SSST announced that it had raised 943 million dollars for the constellation’s construction, in addition to being supported by the Shanghai municipal government.
Thousand Sails is just one part of Shanghai’s robust goals for commercial space program. By 2025, they aim to create a space industry worth over 28.2 billion dollars, including new generation medium and large launch vehicles and intelligent terminals, according to Space News. It also plans to strengthen the development of integrated communications, navigation and remote sensing satellite technologies.
SpaceX’s Starlink, Thousand Sails’ U.S. based rival, currently provides internet access to tens of thousands of users in the United States by operating approx. 5,500 satellites in orbit, with plans to grow in the near future. Recently, Starlink raised concerns among Chinese researchers in the context of Starlink’s technology being deployed in the war in Ukraine, and the possible risk it may pose should China find itself in a military conflict with the U.S.
Control over the earth’s lower orbits has substantial military implications, and dominating these orbits has the power to shift the power balance between conflicting nations. The Chinese government is aware of this and aims to pose strong competition in the evolving space industry, for both military and commercial purposes.
