08.08.2024, Shanghai.
China launched the first batch of satellites for its version of the Starlink satellite internet, Yicai wrote on August 7, referring to Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST).
The plan to build the satellite internet constellation is called Spacesail Constellation. On August 6, the Long March 6A rocket, carrying 18 low-orbit satellites, lifted off from the Taiyuan Space Center in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi and successfully delivered them into orbit.
This year, SSST will launch 108 LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites, and by the end of next year, the total number of satellites will reach 648, according to the Spacesail Constellation plan. Global network coverage is expected to be achieved by 2027, and the deployment of all 15,000 LEO satellites will be completed by 2030.
“The Spacesail Constellation plan will provide users with low-latency, high-speed, and ultra-reliable satellite broadband internet services,” said an SSST employee.
Yesterday’s flight was the 530th flight of the Long March carrier rocket. LEO satellites usually orbit at an altitude of 300 to 2,000 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. Compared to high-orbit satellites, they have lower costs and higher data transmission efficiency.
“LEO satellites have application scenarios in communication, remote sensing, and navigation,” Shen Yan, founder and chief executive officer of Edrive Space Technology, a Beijing-based aerospace propulsion systems developer.
In addition to the Spacesail Constellation, China is promoting two other satellite constellation schemes. The first, developed by the state-owned China Satellite Network Group, is an information transmission network called GW Constellation, consisting of nearly 13,000 satellites. The second is the Honghu-3 Constellation, a service network of 10,000 satellites developed by the private aerospace company Shanghai Lanjian Hongqing Technology.
