In a bid to give competition to Elon Musk-owned Starlink satellite internet service, China's military-industrial complex is working to introduce its first constellation of almost 13,000 very low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites later in 2023, the media has reported.
China's project has been codenamed 'GW', according to a team led by associate professor Xu Can with the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Space Engineering University in Beijing. However, it is not known what these letters stand for, the South China Morning Post reported.
The constellation of LEO satellites will include 12,992 satellites owned by the newly established China Satellite Network Group Co, Xu and his colleagues said in a paper about anti-Starlink measures published in the Chinese journal Command Control and Simulation on February 15, the report added. This is much more when compared with Musk-owned Starlink, which has a fast-growing network of more than 3,500 satellites in low-Earth orbit.
Chinese government-backed spacecraft and missile manufacturer China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) will launch the first LEO satellites of a planned constellation in September, news agency Reuters reported, citing state-backed newspaper Global Times.
This development comes in the wake of the growing tension between Washington and Beijing. The US has export has cut off Chinese firms from some advanced computing chips and President Xi Jinping has called on China to build up technological self-reliance in all fields.
To recall, a report said last month that Starlink satellite internet service is looking to expand further globally and the company is in a testing phase as it promises internet connection 'almost anywhere on land in the world'. Musk's Starlink is testing its Global Roaming service which will cost $200 per month, which excludes the $599 Starlink Kit satellite dish, said a report by GSMArena.
As per a memo by the company, Starlink Global Roaming services are 'contingent on regulatory approvals'.