(CNN) – China has taken a major step forward in its bid to rival SpaceX's Starlink, launching this week the first of what it hopes will be a constellation of 14,000 satellites providing broadband internet coverage from space.
Eighteen satellites were launched into low-Earth orbit (LEO) on Tuesday in the inaugural launch of the government-backed Qianfan, or Spacesail, constellation, state media reported.
The constellation, billed in domestic media as China's answer to U.S.-based SpaceX's Starlink, is intended to join a handful of large-scale space projects by providers in several countries that offer satellite-based broadband internet services.
At the head is Starlink, with More than 6,000 satellites in orbit and the ambition to reach 42,000. It is expected to remain the dominant company in the sector in the coming years, given its advantage and advanced launch capacity.
While most people access the Internet through cables and other terrestrial infrastructure, satellite connectivity has emerged as an important service for rural, resource-poor and disaster-stricken areas. It is also seen as key to the expansion of technologies such as self-driving cars and other Internet-connected devices, sectors that China wants to lead.
Qianfan, also known as G60 Starlink, is one of three planned Chinese megaconstellations that could see Chinese companies launch nearly 40,000 satellites into low-Earth orbit (defined as no more than 1,200 miles above the planet) in the coming years. So-called megaconstellations refer to networks of hundreds or thousands of satellites in orbit.
The launch comes at a time when China is boosting its commercial space sector as part of Beijing's bid to consolidate its position as dominant power in outer spaceThe country has already made giant strides in its ambitious national space programme, which aims to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, while also launching military navigation, communications and surveillance satellites.
Control of LEO broadband satellite constellations could be a boon for China, experts say, allowing its companies to offer services in the country and around the world, while bolstering Beijing's diplomatic influence, control of data flows and national security.
The Qianfan deployment, managed by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), a Shanghai government-backed company, will also be a test of China's ability to produce and launch satellites on a large scale and under tight schedules.
The constellation is expected to exceed 600 satellites by the end of 2025, with plans to reach more than 14,000 satellites providing broadband internet worldwide by 2030, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
That number would be “enough to cover most human populations,” Zhu Xiaochen, deputy director of the project, told CCTV.
China's foray into broadband megaconstellations comes as governments and companies around the world are increasingly looking to satellites for everything from communications to military operations.
The war in Ukraine, where access to Starlink has been a key asset for the Ukrainian military, has also put LEO broadband satellites in the spotlight for their security implications.
Chinese researchers have repeatedly raised national security concerns about the SpaceX-run constellation, including a military academic who said in January which had the potential to support US “ground forces” and the ability to strike in “regional conflicts.”
While Qianfan’s launch is part of a broader push by Beijing to boost space capabilities and commercial applications, its launch also shows that China is “recognizing the dual-use potential… of these capabilities from the standpoint of information superiority or control of data flow,” said Tomas Hrozensky, a senior fellow at the nonprofit think tank European Space Policy Institute in Vienna.
Constellations like Qianfan, once operational, could also bring diplomatic benefits to Beijing, experts say. For example, China could offer access to its internet and communications services as part of agreements with governments within its Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure plan widely seen as a vehicle for China to build its influence abroad.
The role of Chinese companies in global telecommunications has been a contentious issue in recent years, with the US government sounding the alarm about alleged security risks of countries that use Chinese infrastructure and equipment on land.
Some experts warn of similar problems if countries start connecting to the Internet through Chinese satellites.
“As China begins to deploy the G60 and other planned LEO broadband constellations, we will see it extend its telecommunications model into space – a model based on surveillance and censorship of the flow of information,” said Kari Bingen, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.
The launch of the Qianfan constellation comes at a time when China's top leaders have signaled that developing the commercial space sector — including satellites, launch capability and technology production — is an economic priority.
The 18 satellites launched this week appear to put Qianfan ahead of two other planned Chinese communications constellations in LEO. State-owned China Satellite Network Group's Guowang constellation project has nearly 13,000 satellites, and private space company Landspace's Honghu-3 project has 10,000, according to state media reports.
Plans for the Qianfan project were announced in 2021 as part of a state-backed technological innovation scheme in China's prosperous Yangtze River Delta. Its operating company, the Shanghai government-backed SSST, raised $933 million earlier this year, according to the company. Reuters reported in February, citing an investor.
Preparations for the launch include efforts to streamline satellite production, using what Qianfan’s chief designer, Cao Caixia, recently described to state broadcaster CCTV as “an intelligent satellite manufacturing platform” to speed up production times.
SSST and other Chinese companies will likely have to overcome hurdles to rapidly scale up their constellations. China will open its first commercial launch pad this year, although state media say about half of the satellites launched last year were commercial.
Several Chinese companies are working to improve their launch capabilities, but these remain far behind the kind of technology powering SpaceX's Starlink, which is expected to further expand its launch capacity once its Starship vehicle comes online.
“Like any space-faring nation, China will undoubtedly face technical and operational challenges,” said CSIS’s Bingen, noting the need to establish and expand satellite production lines and launch rockets on a frequent basis.
“But space is a national priority for Beijing, and these commercial entities receive top-down support from the Chinese Communist Party, large amounts of funding, municipal government backing and regulatory leeway, so I would expect China to continue its rapid progress in space.”
– CNN’s Joyce Jiang contributed to this report.
