Taking on Starlink, China says first batch of internet satellites placed into orbit

BEIJING: A Chinese state-owned enterprise on Tuesday successfully placed 18 satellites into orbit, state broadcaster CCTV reported, as China seeks to create its own version of US firm SpaceX's Starlink network.

The launch of the low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST) took place at Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in the northern Shanxi province.

The satellites were carried aboard a Long March 6 rocket and represent the first batch in SSST's "Thousand Sails Constellation" plan, CCTV reported.


The state-backed plan is one of China's answers to Starlink, SpaceX's growing commercial broadband constellation that has about 5,500 LEO satellites in space to provide near-global internet to consumers, companies and government agencies.

Starlink is a subsidiary of US entrepreneur Elon Musk's SpaceX space company.

Military implications
LEO satellites usually operate at altitudes of 300km to 2,000km from the Earth's surface and have the advantage of being cheaper and providing more efficient transmission than satellites at higher orbits. Control over the satellites that occupy these altitudes has major military implications.