"US defense officials have long worried that China's Guowang satellite network might give the Chinese military access to the kind of ubiquitous connectivity US forces now enjoy with SpaceX's Starlink network. It turns out the Guowang constellation could offer a lot more than a homemade Chinese alternative to Starlink's high-speed consumer-grade broadband service. China has disclosed little information about the Guowang network, but there's mounting evidence that the satellites may provide Chinese military forces a tactical edge in any future armed conflict in the Western Pacific."
"The megaconstellation is managed by a secretive company called China SatNet, which was established by the Chinese government in 2021. SatNet has released little information since its formation, and the group doesn't have a website. Chinese officials have not detailed any of the satellites' capabilities or signaled any intention to market the services to consumers. Another Chinese satellite megaconstellation in the works, called Qianfan, appears to be a closer analog to SpaceX's commercial Starlink service. Qianfan satellites are flat in shape, making them easier to pack onto the tops of rockets before launch. This is a design approach pioneered by SpaceX with Starlink. The backers of the Qianfan network began launching the first of up to 1,300 broadband satellites last year."
""This is a strategy to keep the US from intervening... that's what their space architecture is designed to do.""
China is building a secretive Guowang megaconstellation managed by state-established China SatNet that could provide military-grade ubiquitous connectivity and operational resilience in the Western Pacific. The network remains opaque, with limited disclosure of capabilities, no public website, and satellites built by multiple firms launching on several rocket types. A separate Qianfan constellation resembles commercial Starlink, using flat satellites for dense launches. Guowang's architecture appears closer to military-oriented systems like Starshield and future Space Development Agency tranches, suggesting the constellation could enable data relay, missile tracking, and command resilience to support Chinese military operations and deter outside intervention.
Read at Ars Technica
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