BEIJING, Sunday, August 11, 2024 – China successfully launched the first 18 satellites for its Thousand Sails Constellation on July 24, reports said.
The ambitious project, backed by both State and private investment, aims to deploy a vast network of 15,000 satellites to provide internet connectivity from low Earth orbit.
The launch, conducted by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology, marks the beginning of a broader Chinese government initiative to develop self-reliant space capabilities.
The country plans to operate three massive satellite constellations, totaling over 30,000 satellites, to compete with established players like SpaceX’s Starlink.
This aggressive push into the satellite internet market reflects China’s growing ambitions in space technology and its desire to reduce reliance on foreign systems.
The Thousand Sails Constellation, along with other planned networks, is expected to have far-reaching implications for telecommunications, remote sensing, and other industries.
Thousand Sails Constellation is the name of China’s ambitious project to create a massive network of low Earth orbit satellites. The goal is to deploy over 15,000 satellites to provide global internet coverage. This project directly rivals SpaceX’s Starlink constellation and is part of China’s broader push for technological self-reliance.
Starlink, a division of SpaceX, is a satellite internet constellation with the goal of providing global broadband internet coverage. Starlink has already launched thousands of satellites and has a growing user base worldwide.
