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China plans second megaconstellation, G60 Starlink with 12,000 satellites, to rival American SpaceX programme

  • The project is backed by the Shanghai municipal government and will eventually comprise more than 12,000 satellites in low earth orbit
  • SpaceX is the only company in the world that can launch satellites reliably and consistently on a large scale

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G60 Starlink, which is backed by the Shanghai municipal government, will eventually comprise more than 12,000 satellites in low earth orbit. Image: Shutterstock/Nasa
Ling Xinin Ohio
China is pushing ahead with the construction of a second satellite megaconstellation to provide broadband internet services and compete with SpaceX’s Starlink.

G60 Starlink, which is backed by the Shanghai municipal government, will eventually comprise more than 12,000 satellites in low earth orbit.

Its potential size is similar to Guo Wang, or National Network, a separate constellation consisting of some 13,000 satellites and commonly known as China’s answer to Starlink. It is now under construction by the state-owned Guo Wang company.

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Last month, a delegation led by Cheng Xiangmin, party secretary of Shanghai’s Songjiang district, inspected a new centre in western Shanghai that was dedicated to the massive production of G60 satellites, according to the district’s official website.

They also met representatives of the project’s industrial partners, including Shanghai Alliance Investment and Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology, to learn about their progress, the website said.

“Paying close attention to the construction goals and timeline of the G60 Starlink project, we have worked hard to roll out investment and help boost technology transfer in the sector,” a representative from Shanghai Alliance Investment said.

All parties agreed to work together to address key problems and speed up the project, according to the website.

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