Thousand Sails (satellite network)

History

2024: Launch of the first satellites

On August 6, 2024, China successfully launched the first batch of satellites into orbit as part of the Thousand Sails project. It involves the formation of a mega-communications group that will compete with Starlink. On the basis of the new satellite platform, the PRC plans to organize global high-speed Internet access.

The Thousand Sails Initiative, also known as the G60, is being implemented with the participation of Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST). The project provides for the launch of low-orbit spacecraft to provide communication services. At the first stage, the constellation will include 1296 satellites. In particular, by the end of 2025 it is planned to launch 648 of them to provide regional Internet coverage. In the future, the Thousand Sails infrastructure will unite about 14 thousand spacecraft.

spacenews

The Long March 6A rocket (Changzheng-6A) with the first satellites of the Thousand Sails project launched from the Taiyuan Cosmodrome in northern China. The upper stage brought 18 vehicles into the calculated orbit. The success of the mission was reported by the China Aerospace Scientific and Technical Corporation (CASC).

According to the SpaceNews resource, in 2024 China plans to launch 108 satellites as part of this initiative. In the future, they will be launched into orbit in batches of 36 and 54. Usually, low-orbit satellites are located at a distance of 300 to 2000 km from the surface of the Earth. One of the advantages of such devices is the lower cost of creation and operation compared to satellites that are located in higher orbits. In addition, more efficient data transmission is provided. China, as noted, intends to actively develop the corresponding direction in order to reduce the lag behind the United States.^[1]

Notes