Over the past six months, 72 Chinese Qianfan satellites have been launched and placed in low Earth orbit. This is just the beginning of China's ambitious plans, which could involve an additional 40,000 satellites within a few years.
China is a major player and actor. They see that there is a market for both their own commercial and state-owned constellations, says René Laufer, professor of space technology systems at Luleå University of Technology.
The satellites are used for internet connectivity and can easily reach even hard-to-reach areas.
"There is a demand"
Already, over 7,000 Starlink satellites from Elon Musk's Space X are competing with hundreds from Eutelsat and a few from Amazon.
Starlink is said to have more than four million customers. The company's success is a reason to enter the industry – but also implies a certain stress, according to Juliana Süss at the German think tank Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik.
There is a demand for creating similar systems, as fast and global internet is clearly a desirable capacity.
For the domestic Chinese market, having their own systems also means that China can maintain its firm grip on internet censorship.
Otherwise, people might start looking elsewhere to try to get online.
Soft power
Ukraine has used Starlink in the war against Russia, both militarily and civically. This, together with the tapped communication cables in the Baltic Sea, puts the spotlight on satellite internet.
Some see a risk in relying on a tech billionaire who can cut off connectivity for large areas at will.
Everyone wants, for various reasons, to have some independence in case someone who has collaborated with you no longer wants to do so, says René Laufer.
Even if many Western countries and companies will avoid Chinese satellite internet providers, he believes the market exists.
I'm pretty sure there are many companies and actors around the world who will want to buy from a mix of different providers. They will look at the price and who offers the best service.
Juliana Süss emphasizes China's soft power. In parts of Africa, the Chinese technology giant Huawei has built 70 percent of the internet infrastructure.
Then you can say that you already have Huawei infrastructure, so it makes sense to also connect to Chinese satellite internet.
Gustav Sjöholm/TT
Facts: Several actors are investing in space internet
TT
Starlink: American Space X is a pioneer in satellite internet and has so far launched 6,900 satellites into orbit. About 12,000 are planned initially.
Eutelsat OneWeb: London-based OneWeb announced in May 2023 that it had placed 634 satellites in orbit.
Project Kuiper: American Amazon's satellite internet project has so far launched two test satellites around the Earth. The goal is 3,232, and the company has contracted 80 launches over the coming years.
Qianfan: Chinese Qianfan has carried out its fourth launch and has 72 satellites in orbit. The goal is 14,000 within a few years. The state-owned project Guo Wang has about ten, with a goal of over 13,000. In China, there is also the private Hongqing, which aims to launch the first of about 10,000 satellites this year.
Iris² (pronounced Iris square): The EU's own investment in satellite internet, with the goal of having 290 satellites. The system is primarily aimed at authorities involved in surveillance, crisis management, security, and defense, and is expected to be operational by 2030.
OJSC Bureau 1440: Russian investment with the goal of having 292 satellites in orbit by 2027, according to the Russian news agency Interfax.
Tasa: Taiwan's space agency Tasa plans its own satellite internet system and also its own launch rockets. The system, which is a few years away, will be a backup system in case the island's 15 underwater cables are cut, or a natural disaster occurs.
Sources: Space.com, Starlink, Amazon, Rusi, CNBC, Carnegie
The first satellites were launched by the Soviet Union in 1957. From the mid-1960s to 2012, the number of new launches per year remained around 150.
Since then, the number has skyrocketed, with 210 in 2013, 600 in 2019, 1,200 in 2020, and 2,470 in 2022. Mainly, it is Starlink that has driven the large increase, with 7,000 satellites since 2019.
In total, there are over 30,000 satellites in orbit.
Sources: UN (Our common agenda policy brief 7), N2YO, Space Agency.
