China challenges Elon Musk's Starlink network with ambitious satellite internet project

China's Big Foray into Satellite Internet

The space race to provide satellite internet service continued to heat up this past August when China successfully launched a constellation of 18 new satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO). Galaxy Space, the company behind the project, is aiming to build a satellite network that can compete directly with billionaire Elon Musk's Starlink satellite constellation.

Given China’s strength and ambition in the technology sector, the move appears to be a decisive response to Elon Musk’s impressive satellite internet project. As the global broadband internet market continues to grow, there is huge potential for satellite internet services due to their wide coverage and ability to provide high-speed internet in remote locations around the world.

It is worth noting that China’s space race is not limited to just a few companies. Besides Galaxy Space, “big guys” such as China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp are also pouring resources into developing their own satellite systems.

Fierce competition among domestic enterprises has created a strong driving force, promoting the rapid development of China's satellite industry. This shows the country's great ambition to become a world-leading space power.

Near-Earth space, especially at altitudes below 2,000 km, is currently dominated by the Starlink satellite constellation, the internet service of Elon Musk's SpaceX company. SpaceX's satellite system has become absolutely dominant, covering a large part of our planet's orbit.

While Elon Musk's Starlink represents a vision of a free and unfettered internet, China is pursuing a tightly controlled and regulated internet model. The satellite's launch in August was a major step toward Beijing building an independent internet system that would allow it to tightly control information and online content.

Despite its remarkable achievements, experts familiar with China's space program admit that the country is still in the process of catching up with the world's leading powers. "China is making every effort to narrow the gap, and the next 5-10 years will be a decisive period for the development of the country's space industry," said an expert who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Unlike terrestrial networks, satellite internet can cover almost any place on Earth, including remote areas such as deserts or oceans. In addition, satellite systems can maintain stable connections even in emergency situations such as war, when ground infrastructure is destroyed. Thanks to their low orbit, LEO satellites also provide faster data transmission speeds and significantly lower latency than satellites in higher orbits.

China's ambitions in developing satellite internet

China’s satellite ambitions may outstrip even Elon Musk’s SpaceX. As of August, China had applied to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for 51,300 LEO satellites, a number far exceeding SpaceX’s 42,000.

But SpaceX is off to a flying start with its Starlink project. Since its launch in 2019, SpaceX has launched thousands of satellites into orbit, quickly becoming the world’s largest satellite operator. As of early October, it had a massive constellation of more than 6,400 active satellites, providing internet service to more than 4 million users in at least 102 countries around the world.

Despite significant achievements in deep space exploration missions, such as bringing samples back to Earth from the Moon, China's space program is still struggling to catch up with the US in the field of space commercialization, especially in the field of providing satellite internet services.

One of the biggest challenges China faces is its failure to develop advanced reusable rocket technology like SpaceX’s Falcon system. While SpaceX’s Falcon rocket can launch multiple satellites at once and land vertically for reuse, China’s rocket technology is still limited.

In the past, China's rocket technology could be on par with the US. However, the birth and rapid development of SpaceX has completely changed the situation, causing the gap between the two countries to widen. This shows that the rocket technology race is becoming increasingly fierce.

In order not to fall behind its competitors, especially after the success of SpaceX's Starlink project, China has decided to invest heavily in satellite constellation development. The Chinese government has established a state-owned enterprise called China SatNet to pool public and private resources for satellite production.

In addition, last July, the country also built a modern research center to develop reusable rocket technology, aiming to put this technology into operation in 2028.

As of the end of last year, China had 537 active commercial aerospace companies, involved in manufacturing, launching satellites and ground services. However, the sector is capital-intensive and needs state support if it is to compete with the United States.

China is currently pursuing a two-pronged strategy, which is to invest heavily in reusable rocket technology to improve efficiency and reduce launch costs, while also increasing the number of launches using existing vehicles. By combining these two approaches, it is only a matter of time before China catches up with the US.

In particular, China is setting an ambitious goal of deploying up to 3,900 satellites into low Earth orbit by 2027. This is just the beginning of a larger plan, as the country aims to build at least three giant satellite constellations, each with more than 10,000 satellites, called GW, Qianfan and Honghu. With such a scale, China is expected to cover every corner of the globe with Internet.

According to Ian Christensen, a leading expert on commercial space and satellites, both China and the United States recognize the importance of public-private cooperation in developing satellite constellations. He emphasized that, despite being a private company, SpaceX still receives significant government support, which shows the important role of public-private cooperation in this field.

Despite being a digital powerhouse with a huge number of internet users, China still faces a major challenge in connecting its entire population. Datareportal found that the country has the second-highest number of unconnected people in the world after India, with more than 330 million people still offline. Satellite internet services are expected to help bridge this gap, bringing connectivity to remote areas.

China’s satellite ambitions extend beyond expanding internet connectivity to strengthening the government’s control over information, as evidenced by Beijing’s demands to SpaceX that the Starlink service not be available in China, where the government has built a strict information censorship system.

"One of the reasons China doesn't allow Starlink to operate in the country is because they want to control what information people can access on the internet," said Steven Fedstein, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Western experts agree that China is fully capable of achieving its goal of building its satellite system. Once the system is complete, Beijing is expected to take advantage of the LEO broadband network to expand its influence globally, similar to the way it did with the Belt and Road Initiative.

According to Clayton Swope - Deputy Director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), China's development of a satellite system will follow the information control model that they are applying domestically. This satellite system will be a tool for Beijing to expand its influence and export its Internet management model globally.

And concerns as the superpowers join the race to conquer space

China is gradually asserting its position in the space race and expanding its global influence. With the ambition to become a leading space power, China has begun implementing large-scale satellite projects.

A major milestone in this strategy was the successful test of the first LEO broadband Internet service in Thailand by Beijing-based satellite company GalaxySpace in May. This is considered a pioneering step, opening up the possibility that China will provide satellite Internet services to many other countries in the future, especially developing countries in Asia and Africa.

A recent report by Mercedes Page, a leading researcher at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the centralized structure of the satellite system makes information control easier than ever.

"Countries using China's satellite internet service will be like building their own miniature 'Great Firewall'. This means the government can easily filter information, monitor people's online activities and even completely cut off internet connection when necessary," Ms. Mercedes Page warned.

At the same time, Ms. Page also said that countries using Chinese services could be put in a position of dependence and pressure from Beijing. This could lead to these countries accepting information censorship, sharing sensitive data or even suppressing domestic dissent to meet China's demands.

Dimitrios Stroikos, head of the Space Policy Project at the IDEAS think tank, has warned of the possibility of China using its satellite constellations to export its model of strict internet control, but he has also stressed that doing so could have unintended consequences for China itself.

Stroikos warned that China’s decision to clamp down on its satellite constellations could have long-term consequences for the country, not only weakening Beijing’s position in the global satellite market but also undermining other countries’ trust in Chinese technology.

Not only that, Stroikos warns that we may be on the brink of a new space war. The satellite internet ecosystem is at risk of being deeply bifurcated, with one side led by China controlling a separate space, and another closely aligned with the United States. This bifurcation will significantly complicate efforts to manage and regulate large satellite constellations, potentially posing a risk of conflict and fierce competition in space.

The space race between major powers such as the United States, China and Russia is heating up. This competition does not stop at exploring the Moon but also carries the risk of weaponizing space, causing serious tensions and threatening world peace.

According to Mr. Swope, any space technology, whether it belongs to China or any other country, can be used for both peaceful and military purposes. Therefore, finding a way for the West and China to cooperate in the space field is extremely important to prevent a dangerous arms race and ensure the sustainable development of space.

"What worries me most is that we don't have any common rules that the two biggest space powers follow. That's the biggest threat to space security," Mr. Swope shared.

Whatever the future holds, one thing is certain: the race to own a global satellite internet network is a fierce and strategic game. It is not just a race for technology, but also a battle for economic and geopolitical influence. As the boundaries of technology continue to expand, we need to ensure that this technology is used ethically and for the benefit of all humanity.