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Starlink, operated by billionaire Elon Musk's Space X, has built
a fast-growing network of more than 3,500 satellites in
low-Earth orbit. It has tens of thousands of users in the United
States so far, and plans to add tens of thousands more
satellites to its system, the largest of its kind.
LEO satellites have the added advantage of being cheaper and
providing more efficient transmission than satellites at higher
orbits.
State-owned spacecraft and missile manufacturer China Aerospace
Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) will launch the first LEO
satellites of a planned constellation in September, the
state-backed newspaper Global Times reported on Thursday, though
it did not say how many satellites will be deployed in total.
While low-Earth usually refers to any altitude less than 1000 km
(620 miles), the plan envisaged by CASIC will be made up of
satellites operating at a "very low" altitude of 150-300km from
the ground.
Most commercial aeroplanes fly at altitudes of below or around
14 km, according to the European Space Agency.
Amid tense ties with Washington and export controls that have
cut off Chinese firms from some advanced computing chips,
President Xi Jinping has called on China to build up
technological self-reliance in all fields.
While CASIC and others have already launched their first LEO
satellites, the gap with Starlink is likely to remain large
throughout the next decade.
State-owned China Satellite Network Group Corp said in 2020 that
it planned to build a fleet of almost 13,000 LEO satellites but
so far progress has been slow.
Analysts estimate that China currently has no more than several
hundred LEO satellites in operation and it would only reach
4,000 by 2027.
($1 = 1.8398 marka)
(Reporting by Eduardo Baptista; Editing by Kim Coghill)
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