Are China’s LEO constellations becoming real?

Since at least 2018, China has had two or more purported LEO constellations in the works. And, with each announcement, industry attention shifted to the next “what if” network (Commsat, GalaxySpace, Geely, Hongyan, Xingyun Lucky Star, Xinwei, and probably more). Since Chinese space companies are overwhelmingly constrained to their domestic market (through U.S. trade laws), they have limited impact on the global space economy, and correspondingly, Quilty Space does not have them as a focus. But LEO constellations are intrinsically global, so if a Chinese constellation goes forward, it will almost certainly play a role on the world stage. For this reason, we turn our attention to this week’s news of one new 10,000+ satellite constellation from Huawei and $933M in funding raised for G60, China’s 12,000+ satellite copycat of Starlink.  

News of Huawei’s constellation comes from a company presentation about an all-optical network first given in November that didn’t gain wider attention until this week. The phone-maker's stated applications are high-quality network services for connecting metropolitan areas, smart homes, and serving as an internet backbone. Meanwhile, the G60 Starlink constellation aims to launch 12,000 satellites, starting with an initial 108 this year.  

So what’s changed? The Huawei and G60 Starlink constellations have backers that appear more serious than those of years past. Huawei will generate ~$100B in revenue for 2023 – about the same as Verizon – and though U.S. sanctions have chipped at the company, it remains formidable. Last year, Huawei began a D2D service using a GEO satellite and has created a standalone operating platform for phones to end reliance on Android. With this and an established worldwide footprint of customers and base stations, Huawei would have an easier time going global with a LEO constellation than other Chinese companies.  

As for G60 Starlink, the $933M raised is the most we’ve seen to date for a Chinese megaconstellation, and its backing by the Shanghai government is nothing to sneeze at. Shanghai is the most populous city in China (~27 million people), and the biggest seaport in the world. The city has a growing space sector and a government committed to keeping it that way. Plus, Shanghai’s influence is truly global through maritime trade. A LEO network from Shanghai could grow into a regional power on the back of maritime connectivity, serving as a springboard for global reach.  

Past Chinese constellations have had factories built, notable sponsors, and a handful of satellites launched, only to go mysteriously quiet. The lack of free press in China makes it hard to know how constellations are really proceeding. To truly judge most systems, seeing is believing.  

SOURCE: https://chinaspacemonitor.substack.com/p/huawei-enters-the-constellation-game?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2