--- title: "China Launches First Portion of Satellite Megaconstellation" description: "China has deployed its first batch of satellites as it seeks to rival SpaceX's Starlink communications megaconstellation." date: "2024-08-08" modified: "2024-08-08" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/china-launches-satellite-megaconstellation" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "china" - "satellites" - "starlink" - "the digest" --- # China Launches First Portion of Satellite Megaconstellation ![China has deployed its first batch of satellites as it seeks to rival SpaceX's Starlink communications megaconstellation.]() *TAIYUAN, CHINA - AUGUST 06: A Long March 6A rocket carrying the satellite group blasts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center on August 6, 2024 in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province of China. The satellite group, consisting of 18 satellites, was launched at 2:42 p.m. aboard a Long March 6A carrier rocket and entered its preset orbit successfully. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images) \Image: Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images\* ## Star Plans China has deployed its first batch of satellites as it seeks to rival SpaceX's Starlink communications megaconstellation. As [*SpaceNews* reports](), China has successfully launched the first 18 of its initial satellites for its Qianfan or "Thousand Sails" megaconstellation, which were deployed into low-Earth orbit by a Long March 6A rocket on August 6. Announced on [social media]() by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the successful launch is the first stage of this year's operations for the Long Sails project. The space agency hopes to launch more than 100 communications satellites this year, nearly 1,300 within the mission's first stage, and ultimately around 14,000. While that final figure is more than double the roughly [6,200 SpaceX currently has in orbit](), it's still dwarfed by the [42,ooo the Elon Musk company hopes to deploy](). That may be why the other name for the project is the "G60 Starlink Plan," which does seem a bit on the nose. ## Friendly Fire Like Starlink, China aims to provide global internet access with its communications satellite mission — though it remains unclear whether the service it provides will be hamstrung by the [same kinds of censorship]() that Chinese netizens are [forced to contend with](). The Musk-owned satellite project is, apparently, the subject of some ire in China. As [*Reuters* notes](), an editorial [published by an outlet affiliated with the country's People's Liberation Army]() described Starlink as a "serious threat to the security of space assets of various countries." Having [studied Starlink in-depth](), Chinese military officials posited that the country could respond by creating its own satellite constellation. What exact military capabilities the Thousand Sails mission is slated to provide remain to be seen — but given how Starlink has been used for on-the-ground comms at various points by both [Russia]() and [Ukraine]() during the former country's invasion of the former Eastern Bloc state, it's not hard to imagine what's going through Chinese military minds. **More on satellites:** [*SpaceX's Starlink May Be Keeping the Ozone From Healing, Research Finds*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()