China raises stakes in SpaceX internet rivalry, claims higher orbit for first SkyNet satellite

Developer CASC said initial satellite in the ambitious broadband constellation was sent 20,000km above the Earth where it will test core technologies

Unlike Starlink and other communication satellites, SkyNet’s network will fly in medium Earth orbit, just below navigation systems like GPS and BeiDou

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A Long March-3B rocket carrying the Smart SkyNet-1 01 satellite blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan province on Thursday. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 1:03pm, 10 May 2024Updated: 7:27pm, 10 May 2024

The first satellite in China’s ambitious Smart SkyNet broadband internet constellation – part of an effor to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink – was launched into medium Earth orbit on Thursday.

The satellite, known as Zhihui Tianwang-1 01 or Smart SkyNet-1 01, left the Xichang satellite launch centre in southwestern China at 9.43am Beijing time atop a Long March 3B rocket.

Its developer China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) said the satellite will test high-speed, user-friendly communication technologies from 20,000km (12,400 miles) above the Earth.

According to CASC, the satellite will be joined by seven more satellites in an initial formation of the SkyNet constellation, with the potential for expansion to 16 or 32 satellites.

The satellite constellation bears the same name as China’s video surveillance network of public spaces – the largest of its kind on Earth, with more than 20 million cameras. There is no known connection between the two, and according to reports in state media the satellite does not carry surveillance equipment.

The Smart SkyNet constellation could be combined with China’s low Earth orbit megaconstellations – GuoWang and G60 Starlink, which each consist of more than 12,000 satellites – as well as those in higher geostationary orbit, according to CCTV.

“Such an integrated, space-based network will provide internet access to all types of users across all scenarios and all domains,” the state broadcaster said on Thursday.