By the end of this year, China will begin deploying its own mega-satellite constellation designed to provide a global Internet. This is stated in the message of the Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
According to the developers, the Chinese analogue of Starlink (sometimes called “Guowang”) will consist of 13 thousand spacecraft located in low Earth orbits. It is expected that an experimental batch of the first 30 satellites will be ready by the end of this year.
The Long March 5B rocket will be used to launch the first batch of Guowang satellites. It will get a new upper stage. It is possible that the upgrade will solve the problem of uncontrolled fall of the 20-ton first stage of the Long March 5B, which many figuratively compared with the space Russian roulette.
It is worth noting that in recent years China has actively increased its capabilities for the production of satellites. Also, the Celestial Empire has invested heavily in increasing the production of rocket engines.
The West is wary of Chinese plans to create a mega-satellite constellation. This may create difficulties for the activities of Starlink and OneWeb in countries with strong Chinese political influence. In addition, experts have little doubt that the Guowang system will be used not only for civilians but also for military purposes.
Recall that OneWeb recently completed the deployment of its satellite constellation.
According to https://spacenews.com
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