China has submitted two applications to the International Telecommunication Union to build huge non-geostationary satellite networks. Two groups of 96,714 satellites will fly in 3,660 orbital planes.
China has submitted two applications to the International Telecommunication Union to build huge non-geostationary satellite networks. Two groups of 96,714 satellites will fly in 3,660 orbital planes.
SpaceNews reports that these two applications (CTC-1 and CTC-2) for the creation of satellite clusters are among the largest in history.
Submissions to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) may reserve priority dates for China, but do not give permission for the satellite networks to be deployed. They are being submitted as separate satellite networks under ITU rules, and are likely part of a single strategic initiative aimed at securing spectrum and orbital priority for China’s upcoming next-generation mega-satellite constellation.
Documents from China indicate China Satcom’s intentions to launch 24 satellites into medium Earth orbit, related to the Guowang project in low Earth orbit, as well as two satellite constellations for China Mobile, consisting of 144 and 2,520 satellites, respectively.
China is already building its national constellations, Guowang and Qianfan (Thousand Sails), each of which is planned to consist of over 10,000 satellites. CTC-1 and CTC-2 appear to be an early blueprint for a next-generation satellite constellation, aimed at securing orbits and spectrum in the face of satellite constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Leo (formerly known as Project Kuiper).
Elon Musk’s SpaceX previously filed for Starlink, which was to consist of about 12,000 satellites, and then expanded that number to about 42,000 in subsequent applications. The Starlink constellation currently has more than 9,000 satellites.
China has launched a massive space supercomputer network project, launching 12 satellites that will be part of a future constellation of 2,800 devices. This marks the beginning of the world’s first orbital AI infrastructure capable of processing data directly in space.
