Qianfan (), officially known as the Spacesail Constellation and also referred to as G60 Starlink, is a planned satellite internet constellation in Low Earth orbit to create a system of worldwide internet coverage. It was created by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), a firm backed by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 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. Phase 1 will have 1,296 satellites.
Satellite launches started in August 2024. , 200 satellites have been launched.
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. 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.
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).
2024 On 6 August 2024 at 06:42 UTC, China launched its first set of eighteen flat panel satellites associated with the project using the Long March 6A launch vehicle, China's 35th orbital launch in the year 2024. The rocket launched from the Taiyuan Launch Complex located in the north of Shanxi Province, and brought the satellites into a polar orbit. The Chinese Academy of Sciences and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation both reported that the space mission was "a complete success". However, the United States Space Command reported that soon after the delivery of 18 satellites, the upper stage of Long March 6A broke apart and created a cloud of debris of "over 300 pieces of trackable debris in low-Earth orbit".
On 15 October 2024 at 11:06 UTC, a Long March 6A rocket launched the second group of eighteen Qianfan satellites into a polar orbit.
On 5 December 2024 at 04:41 UTC, a third group of eighteen Qianfan satellites were launched into a polar orbit by a Long March 6A rocket.
Future Based on Chinese state media China 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. 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.
The system also planned to annex finite frequencies and orbital slots, and also provide data security.
Satellite launch statistics Satellites launched
Launches +NameNumber of satellitesLaunch (UTC)OrbitOrbital apsisInclinationSCNCOSPAR IDLaunch siteLauncherStatusG60 Polar Group 01186 August 202406:42PolarTSLC LA-9ALong March 6AG60 Polar Group 021815 October 202411:06PolarTSLC LA-9ALong March 6AG60 Polar Group 03185 December 202404:41PolarTSLC LA-9ALong March 6AG60 Polar Group 041823 January 202505:11PolarTSLC LA-9ALong March 6AG60 Polar Group 051811 March 202504:38PolarWCSLS LC-1 Long March 8G60 Polar Group 061817 October 202507:09PolarTSLC LC-9A Long March 6AG60 Polar Group 07187 April 202613:32PolarWCSLS LC-1 Long March 8G60 Polar Group 081812 May 202611:59PolarTSLC LA-9ALong March 6AG60 Polar Group 091817 May 202602:42PolarWCSLS LC-1Long March 8G60 Polar Group 1021 June 202608:40PolarJSLC CZ-12 PadLong March 12BG60 Polar Group 11184 June 202611:39PolarTSLC LA-9ALong March 6AG60 Polar Group 12185 June 202606:34PolarTSLC LA-9ALong March 6ADTC 01 SSSTChina Mobile 02 (Test satellite)19 June 202608:23LEOJSLC Site-96Zhuque-2EG60 Polar Group 13184 July 202609:30PolarTSLC LA-9ALong March 6AG60 Polar Group 14205 July 202601:43PolarWCSLS LC-1Long March 8AG60 Polar Group 191015 September 202614:26SSOJSLC Site-96Zhuque-2EG60 Polar Group 26915 September 202622:00PolarOriental Spaceport (Specially converted barge off Haiyang Port)Gravity-1
Impact on the sky Qianfan satellites are bright, and their light pollution poses 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. This is a known problem with satellite constellations, which can be partly mitigated.
See also Guowang/SatNet Starlink Chang'e 6 Shensuo SVOM Queqiao-2
References