Planned Chinese satellite internet megaconstellation
Qianfan (Chinese: 千帆星座; pinyin: Qiānfān xīngzuò; lit. 'Thousand Sails Constellation'),[1] officially known as the Spacesail Constellation[2] and also referred to as G60 Starlink,[3] is a planned Chineselow-Earth orbitsatellite internet megaconstellation to create a system of worldwide internet coverage created by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST). The project was started in 2024 as a rival to the Starlink satellite constellation installed by SpaceX, and plans to be constituted of over 15,000 satellites by the project's end.[4][5]
History
2023
The "Thousand Sails" program began with the creation of the "Shanghai Action Plan to Promote Commercial Aerospace Development and Create a Space Information Industry Highland (2023-2025)" program first announced on 20 November.[6] The government of Shanghai raised 6.7 billion Chinese Yuan ($943 million) in funds for the construction of the project, which was initially dubbed the G60 Starlink.[7]
The first flat panel satellite for the megaconstellation was assembled in December 2023. The satellite's facilities were allocated to the state owned Shanghai Gesi Aerospace Technology (Genesat).[8]
Based on Chinese state mediaChina Central Television coverage, China has planned to launch and establish 648 satellites by the end of 2025 as part of the 1,296 satellites in the first phase of construction of the constellation, with the finished broadband multimedia satellite megaconstellation consisting of over 15,000 internet satellites.[4] Of these, 108 satellites were planned to be deployed in 2024 in separate launches of 36 and 54 internet satellites each, and would operate in "Ku, Q and V" bands.[8]
Qianfan satellites are bright, and they pose a threat to observational astronomy. At their current luminosity the spacecraft will leave streaks in photographic research images that cannot be removed by software. They would also interfere with aesthetic appreciation of the night sky because they are visible to the unaided eye. Other spacecraft operators have mitigated the brightness of the satellites to reduce their impact on astronomy.[12]