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Ling Xin

Victoria Bela

China has launched the first satellites for its GuoWang megaconstellation, intensifying the race for space-based broadband internet services both domestically and internationally.
A group of satellites lifted off aboard a Long March-5B rocket coupled with the Yuanzheng-2 upper stage from southern China’s Wenchang spaceport at 6pm and later reached their designated low-Earth orbit, according to state news agency Xinhua.
The satellites have entered into their predetermined orbit and the mission has been declared a success.
Chinese state media did not immediately announce the number of satellites that were launched on Monday.
GuoWang, meaning “national network”, first came to light in 2020 when China submitted filings with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for a constellation of nearly 13,000 satellites.
Often seen as China’s answer to SpaceX’s Starlink, GuoWang aims to provide global broadband internet coverage while meeting China’s national security objectives.
The project is managed by China Satellite Network Group Co Ltd, a state-owned enterprise established in 2021 under the State Council, China’s cabinet. The company is headquartered in Xiongan, Hebei province, and has registered capital of 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion).
Speculation about GuoWang’s satellite deployment began circulating last year, but progress appears to be slower than anticipated.


In contrast, a similar megaconstellation known as Qianfan, funded by the Shanghai municipal government, launched its first 54 satellites this year across three missions.
The Qianfan project, whose name means “thousand sails”, aims to have nearly 650 satellites in orbit by the end of next year, with a goal of providing global internet coverage by 2027.
SpaceX’s Starlink has surged ahead in the global satellite internet race, with more than 6,700 satellites in orbit.
Meanwhile, the London-based OneWeb satellite constellation has more than 600 satellites providing connectivity from low-Earth orbit.
Under ITU regulations, constellation operators must meet specific deployment milestones to retain their frequency rights.
For GuoWang, this means deploying at least 1,300 satellites, or 10 per cent of the total, by 2029 and 6,500 satellites, or 50 per cent, by 2032. It must complete the constellation by 2035.
The global race to launch satellites has intensified as players push to fill the limited space in low-Earth orbit, located between 160km and 2,000km (100 to 1,200 miles) above Earth, where satellites can operate with reduced transmission delays and offer faster internet speeds.
The Long March-5B is China’s most powerful rocket. With a diameter of five metres (16.4 feet) and a lift-off thrust exceeding 10,000 kilonewton, it can deliver payloads weighing up to 25 tonnes to low-Earth orbit.
Between 2020 and 2022, the heavy-lift rocket launched the three modules of China’s Tiangong space station, each weighing 22-23 tonnes.
The Yuanzheng-2 upper stage has a diameter of 3.8 metres and was developed for the Long March 5 series.
Combined, the Long March-5B and Yuanzheng-2 can haul several tonnes directly to geostationary orbit, 36,000km (22,370 miles) above Earth, making them China’s most powerful orbital transport system to date.
The European Union has also committed to building its own constellation of internet satellites, aiming to provide its own alternative to Starlink, according to a report by Reuters.
On Monday, the EU awarded contracts worth US$11.13 billion to build Iris2, a network of over 280 multi-orbit internet satellites.
The project, which will be overseen by the European Space Agency, is expected to launch by 2029 and become operational by 2030. The network is expected to boost European satellite competitiveness and provide a secure and encrypted network for both government and commercial use.


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The first of the GuoWang megaconstellation satellites have been launched atop a Long March-5B rocket from Wenchang Space Launch Site in southern China. Photo: Xinhua 

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Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te (centre) has declared he wants to make Taiwan the Asian hub for developing the next generation of medium- and low-orbit communications satellites. Photo: EPA-EFE 

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The 13,000-satellite megaconstellation aims to provide global broadband internet coverage


The 13,000-satellite megaconstellation aims to provide global broadband internet coverage.
