Beijing rival to Musk’s Starlink launched
Initial satellite in ambitious broadband constellation enters medium Earth orbit
The first satellite in Beijing’s ambitious Smart SkyNet broadband internet constellation – intended to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink – has been launched into medium Earth orbit.
The satellite, known as Zhihui Tianwang-1 01 or Smart SkyNet-1 01, left the Xichang satellite launch centre at 9.43am on Thursday atop a Long March 3B rocket.
Its developer China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) said the satellite would test high-speed, user-friendly communication technologies from 20,000km above the Earth.
According to CASC, the satellite will be joined by seven more in an initial formation of the SkyNet constellation, with the potential for expansion to 16 or 32 satellites.
The constellation bears the same name as China’s video surveillance network of public spaces – the largest of its kind on Earth, with more than 20 million cameras. The connection between the two systems is unclear.
The Smart SkyNet constellation could be combined with China’s low Earth orbit mega-constellations – GuoWang and G60 Starlink, which each consist of more than 12,000 satellites – as well as those in higher geostationary orbit, according to CCTV.
“Such an integrated, spacebased network will provide internet access to all types of users across all scenarios and all domains,” the broadcaster said.
“Once complete, the constellation will provide personalised broadband network services with no blind spots globally,” it said.
According to CCTV, Smart SkyNet-1 01 will test core technologies, including spacebased laser communication and on-demand internet access for users ranging from Antarctica research stations to ships in the Western Indian Ocean and satellites in low Earth orbits.
Medium Earth orbit – typically defined as altitudes between 2,000km and 36,000km – is mostly used for global navigation systems. GPS networks operate at around 20,200km while China’s BeiDou satellites are at 21,500km.
The world’s largest broadband constellation, SpaceX’s Starlink, has nearly 6,000 satellites in low Earth orbit to deliver internet services to remote locations around the world. The Texasbased company says that number could ultimately rise to 42,000.
A Tsinghua University team came up with the idea of putting a broadband constellation into medium Earth orbit, with a collaboration agreement signed with the Shanghai municipal government in 2018 to implement the project, according to the university’s WeChat account.
Tsinghua said multiple institutes were involved in the development of Smart SkyNet-1 01, including researchers from CASC, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
According to CASC, the satellite is equipped with a multibeam, high-speed microwave link, an inter-satellite two-way laser link, and a digital processing and forwarding platform.