China’s military-industrial complex is expected to begin building its first constellation of very low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites later this year, China’s latest effort to catch up with America’s Starlink.
Starlink, run by Space X billionaire Elon Musk, has built a rapidly growing network of more than 3,500 satellites in low Earth orbit. It already has tens of thousands of users in the United States and plans to add tens of thousands more satellites to its system, the largest of its kind.
LEO satellites have the added advantage of being cheaper and providing more efficient transmission than satellites in higher orbits.
State-owned spacecraft and rocket maker China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) will launch the first LEO satellites of a planned constellation in September, the state-backed Global Times reported on Thursday, although it did not say how many satellites there would be. deployed in total.
While low Earth usually refers to any altitude less than 1,000 km (620 mi), the plan envisioned by CASIC will consist of satellites operating at a “very low” altitude of 150-300 km above the ground.
Most commercial aircraft fly at altitudes below or around 14 km, according to the European Space Agency.
Amid strained relations with Washington and export controls that have cut off Chinese firms from some advanced computer chips, President Xi Jinping has called on China to build technological self-sufficiency in all areas.
While CASIC and others have already launched their first LEO satellites, the gap compared to Starlink is likely to remain large over the next decade.
State-owned China Satellite Network Group Corp said in 2020 it plans to build a fleet of nearly 13,000 LEO satellites, but progress has so far been slow.
Analysts estimate that China currently has no more than a few hundred LEO satellites in operation, and should only reach 4,000 by 2027.
