China launches first satellites for Thousand Sails megaconstellation

PRESTON, United Kingdom — China efficiently launched the primary batch of 18 satellites Tuesday for the Thousand Sails low Earth orbit communications megaconstellation.

A Lengthy March 6A rocket lifted off from Taiyuan Satellite tv for pc Launch Heart, north China, at 2:42 a.m. Jap (0642 UTC) Aug. 6. The China Aerospace Science and Expertise Company (CASC) introduced launch success simply over two hours later. 

The Lengthy March 6A higher stage deployed 18 flat panel Qianfan (“Thousand Sails”) satellites into polar orbit for Shanghai Spacecom Satellite tv for pc Expertise (SSST). 

SSST plans for the constellation’s first stage to encompass 1,296 satellites. 648 of those are to be launched by the top of 2025 to offer regional community protection.

Earlier statements point out that 108 satellites are deliberate for launch throughout 2024. These are anticipated to be launched in separate batches of 36 and 54 satellites. The finished community will encompass greater than 14,000 low Earth orbit broadband multimedia satellites. 

The Thousand Sails constellation goals to offer world web entry. It’s one in every of two deliberate Chinese language methods to problem U.S. initiatives together with Starlink. Thousand Sails can also be supposed to safe finite orbital slots and frequencies, and supply nationwide web protection and knowledge safety. 

The Chinese language army has famous the potential army functions of such constellations, citing using satellites in Ukraine’s protection in opposition to Russia’s invasion.

Thousand Sails and China’s business area push

The low Earth orbit megaconstellation was earlier often called the G60 Starlink constellation. SSST introduced in February it had raised 6.7 billion yuan ($943 million) for the constellation’s building. Established in Shanghai’s Songjiang District in 2021, SSST’s undertaking can also be supported by the municipal authorities.

Shanghai has developed its personal business area motion plan, of which Thousand Sails is only one side. Shanghai’s objectives embrace fostering new technology medium and huge launch automobiles and clever terminals. It additionally intends to strengthen the event of built-in communications, navigation and distant sensing satellite tv for pc applied sciences. Shanghai goals to create an area data trade price greater than 200 billion yuan ($28.2 billion) by 2025. Beijing additionally has its personal business area motion with measurable objectives.

The plan additionally advantages from central authorities help, with business area final yr designated as an “trade of the longer term.” The sector was subsequently famous as a precedence in a authorities work report for the primary time in March this yr.

Thousand sails just isn’t the one Chinese language megaconstellation. The nationwide Guowang (SatNet) 13,000-satellite undertaking is being run by the China Satellite tv for pc Community Group, arrange in 2021. Its first batch of satellites can also be quickly anticipated to launch. Nonetheless updates on the undertaking are few and much between.

China’s plans for megaconstellations additionally require an enormous development in launch capabilities. The nation is predicted to make the most of anticipated launch capability from the nation’s emergent business area sector to assist understand these plans. The primary launches of quite a lot of new, reusable medium-lift launchers are anticipated throughout 2025.

The primary pads of a business spaceport close to Wenchang, Hainan island, have been accomplished. Additional launch pads may even help the required surge in launch charge.

The Lengthy March 6A rocket used for Tuesday’s launch combines liquid propellant core levels with stable rocket boosters. The launcher can carry 4,500 kg to a 700-km sun-synchronous orbit. The rocket’s higher stage seems to have suffered particles points in orbit.

The launch was China’s thirty fifth orbital launch of 2024. CASC said in February that China aimed to launch round 100 occasions this yr. It added that business launch suppliers will account for round roughly 30 of those launches.

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