China Files for 200,000 Satellites in Bid to Forge “Shadow Starlink”
In a monumental maneuver poised to reshape the global space race, China has submitted regulatory filings for satellite constellations totaling nearly 200,000 spacecraft—an audacious bid to counter SpaceX’s Starlink and secure critical orbital real estate.
The filings, submitted to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), outline plans for two gargantuan systems, CTC-1 and CTC-2, each proposing 96,714 satellites. The move is widely interpreted by space and regulatory experts as a strategic “ambit claim” designed to reserve vast swaths of low-Earth orbit (LEO) and their accompanying radio frequencies ahead of competitors. Under ITU’s stringent “use it or lose it” rules, China has seven years to launch its first satellites and 14 years to complete deployments to maintain its rights to these slots.
From Paper to Orbit: A Multi-Tiered Strategy
While the new 200,000-satellite blueprint represents a future vision, China is already advancing rapidly on tangible, near-term systems. Analysts note the filings are anchored in active deployment programs, signaling this is more than a speculative grab.
The state-backed Guowang (SatNet) constellation, targeting around 13,000 satellites, already has approximately 145 operational satellites in orbit. Concurrently, the commercially oriented Qianfan project (also known as Spacesail or G60) aims for 15,000 satellites by 2030 and had launched over 100 by late 2025. Together, they form the backbone of what analysts call a “Shadow Starlink”—a Chinese-controlled alternative to U.S.-led LEO networks that are becoming essential to global communications, data flows, and military logistics.
Technological Muscle to Back the Ambition
China’s orbital ambitions are being matched by significant technological strides. In 2026, researchers demonstrated satellite-to-ground laser communications achieving 100 Gbps—surpassing publicly known Starlink data rates and showcasing improved resistance to atmospheric interference.
Launch capacity, a critical bottleneck for megaconstellations, is also being addressed. Chinese commercial space firms are scheduled for their first orbital tests of reusable rockets this year, a vital step toward achieving the unprecedented launch tempo required to deploy tens or hundreds of thousands of satellites.
Escalating Tensions and Sustainability Fears
The sheer scale of China’s proposed constellations has amplified global concerns over orbital congestion, collision risks, and long-term space sustainability. China has itself cited safety concerns at the United Nations, formally criticizing Starlink over reported close approaches to its Tiangong space station.
Beijing has leveraged these incidents to advocate for stricter international regulation of space operations, while simultaneously using them to justify the necessity of a nationally controlled LEO network as a counterbalance to U.S. systems.
A Fundamental Shift in the Space Arena
This filing marks a definitive new phase in the geopolitical competition for space. Even if only a fraction of the 200,000 proposed satellites are ever launched, the action underscores that orbital infrastructure has become a primary frontline for technological and strategic dominance.
For now, these ITU submissions represent intent rather than hardware. But combined with active deployments, cutting-edge laser communications, and burgeoning reusable launch capabilities, they send a clear signal: the race to control the orbital domain is accelerating into uncharted territory.
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