Photo: SpaceX
China could be looking to launch nearly 13,000 satellites to rival SpaceX’s Starlink internet constellation, according to researchers in a South China Morning Post report.
In a paper published in the Chinese Journal of Command Control and Simulation, Professor Xu Can of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA’s) Space Engineering University in Beijing and his research team wrote that China is looking to launch 12,992 satellites in a project codenamed “GW.”
According to YouTube channel Dongfang Hour, “GW” apparently refers to the Guowang constellation.
The GW constellation will be owned by the China Satellite Network Group Co and is one anti-Starlink measure being taken by the country discussed in the paper.
China may be looking to launch satellites into “orbits where the Starlink constellation has not yet reached,” according to Xu and his research team. Additionally, the country hopes to “gain opportunities and advantages at other orbital altitudes, and even suppress Starlink.”
The paper also said that the satellites could feature anti-Starlink payloads for things such as “close-range, long-term surveillance of Starlink satellites.”
The news comes after reports said Tesla’s Gigafactory Shanghai expansion had been delayed last month due to Starlink concerns last month, and after SpaceX aid to Ukraine was getting the attention of Chinese officials last year.
With Musk’s close ties to China, specifically its Gigafactory in Shanghai, we doubt SpaceX would leverage Starlink to go against the nation, as there would be likely repercussions.
Ukraine Has the Most SpaceX Starlink Terminals in the World, 40,000 Total Soon https://t.co/gvgJ0ZI1nm
— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) February 24, 2023
