GW (Satellite System)

History

2023: Building the System

At the end of February 2023, it became known about the creation in China of a new satellite communication system, which is designed to compete with the American Starlink. The project is codenamed GW, the satellites will be launched in low Earth orbit.

It is assumed that GW satellites have the additional advantage of being cheaper and providing more efficient transmission than satellites in higher orbits. State-owned spacecraft and rocket manufacturer China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) will launch the first GW satellites from the planned group in September 2023.

GW satellites to be launched in low Earth orbit

According to SpaceX, the Starlink network, which has more than 3,000 satellites in orbit as of February 16, 2023, should eventually grow to more than 40,000 satellites. Starlink satellites can receive data from the US Department of Defense to plan or coordinate their positions, and they are equipped with surveillance sensors to monitor the space environment.

The GW constellation will include 12,992 satellites owned by China Satellite Network Group Co. The launch schedule for these satellites remains unknown, but their number can compare with the scale of SpaceX's planned network of more than 12,000 satellites by 2027.

The GW satellite constellation will be deployed quickly, before Starlink is completed, according to leader Xu Tsan of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Space Engineering University in Beijing. This will provide our country with a place in low orbit and will not allow the Starlink group to use low-orbit resources too actively. The Chinese satellites could also be placed in orbits not yet reached by the Starlink constellation, said they would gain capabilities and benefits at other orbital altitudes and even suppress Starlink, Tsan added.

Amid strained ties with Washington in 2023 and export controls that denied Chinese firms access to some advanced computing chips, President Xi Jinping called on China to develop technological independence in all areas.^[1]

Notes