China Launches Satellites For Major Network To Rival Starlink (sciencealert.com) 63
An anonymous reader quotes a report originally published by Business Insider: A Chinese state-backed company has launched its first 18 satellites in its bid to build a vast orbital network aimed at rivaling Starlink, according to local media. The launch on Monday by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology involved 18 satellites and one rocket, per The China Securities Journal, which is run by state news agency Xinhua. According to the outlet, the rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan satellite and missile launch center in Shanxi province.
These satellites mark the first step in the company's effort to create a 15,000-strong network of Low Earth Orbit satellites, which the firm has dubbed the "Thousand Sails Constellation." The company said it plans to reach that final tally by 2030, per The China Securities Journal. Domestic media has widely called the project the Chinese version of Starlink, which runs about 6,000 satellites. Elon Musk has said that he plans to eventually host a network of 42,000 satellites.
The Thousand Sails Constellation, also known as the G60 project, is one of three planned major satellite networks in the country. Each is expected to field 10,000 or more satellites. Most are anticipated to orbit between 200 and 1,200 miles above the Earth's surface, which is also where Starlink satellites are generally found. The three constellations, along with dozens of ambitious space projects from other Chinese firms, have been fueled by a recent push from the central government to loop the private sector into its science and technology goals.
These satellites mark the first step in the company's effort to create a 15,000-strong network of Low Earth Orbit satellites, which the firm has dubbed the "Thousand Sails Constellation." The company said it plans to reach that final tally by 2030, per The China Securities Journal. Domestic media has widely called the project the Chinese version of Starlink, which runs about 6,000 satellites. Elon Musk has said that he plans to eventually host a network of 42,000 satellites.
The Thousand Sails Constellation, also known as the G60 project, is one of three planned major satellite networks in the country. Each is expected to field 10,000 or more satellites. Most are anticipated to orbit between 200 and 1,200 miles above the Earth's surface, which is also where Starlink satellites are generally found. The three constellations, along with dozens of ambitious space projects from other Chinese firms, have been fueled by a recent push from the central government to loop the private sector into its science and technology goals.
LOL (Score:4, Insightful)
Launch all the StarLink rivals you like. What countries outside of the axis of evil would even consider using them?
Axis of Evil - Why? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Axis of Evil - Why? (Score:4, Insightful)
but never got a good answer as to why
You must have slept through the past 10 years, with the PRC becoming the major destabilizing factor in the South West Pacific, a military threat to democratic Taiwan and the major supplier of neonazi ruZZia with weapon manufacturing equipment and supplies, which the latter uses to wage its war of aggression against Ukraine.
Then there's the dismal results of China's presence in Africa on the local environment and welfare, China's gradual and unstoppable slide back to totalitarianism at home, the never-ending terror against minorities, etc. etc.
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Uyghurs. Take a moment to educate yourself.
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Oh not all of them are extremists? Well the non-extremists aren't in "re-education camps", they're living free in public. Take a moment to educate yourself.
FWIW Islam has changed/destroyed Uyghur culture too. Few Uyghur traditional women dresses have face veils.
Extremist Islam would kill their music and dance. Look at Afghanistan and the ISIS.
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"living free" You know, with special male CCP minders in the homes of the females whose husbands/fathers/sons have been sent to ze camps who totes are in no possible way demanding sexual favors.
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Wait --- so doing bad things to indigenous people gets you put on the naughty list?
Historical snark aside, China is a country we need to stand up to because of its leadership is a threat to international peace and order, not because they're "bad guys".
China didn't even make it onto Bush's original "Axis of Evil", even though they'd be well into oppressing Uyghurs at that point. Nor is Saudi Arabia usually get mentioned in Axis of Evil lists, even though nobody doubts they're really, really bad guys. So th
Re:Axis of Evil - Why? (Score:5, Informative)
You are not allowed to read what you like, the Internet is censored to point of being useless.
You are not allowed to travel where you like. Ticket sales are tided to you social rating.
You are not allowed to own a home. All land belongs to government, you pay for 20 year lease when you 'buy' a home.
You are not allowed to own a car or motorcycle, they have forced scraping at a young age.
The list goes on and on, just try dealing with a bank, getting married or having kids. Maybe my list is not an "axis of evil" in of itself but it gives you an idea of the Chinese government's idea of 'freedom'.
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Re:LOL (Score:5, Insightful)
China, India, Russia, Afrian and South American states, you can easily get to half of the world population
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India won't, they're banning a lot of Chinese stuff as they have territorial disputes over border areas.
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China, India, Russia, Afrian and South American states, you can easily get to half of the world population
Yup.
Or as the eeeeevil Mr. Orban [miniszterelnok.hu] put it:
I think that this is an inevitable process, because Asia has the demographic advantage, it has the technological advantage in ever more areas, it has the capital advantage, and it is bringing its military power up to equilibrium with that of the West. Asia will have – or perhaps already has – the most money, the largest financial funds, the largest companies in the world, the best universities, the best research institutes, and the largest stock exchanges. It will have – or already has – the most advanced space research and the most advanced medical science.
Re: LOL (Score:4, Interesting)
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Did you buy that 6-digit user account? I can't imagine anyone who's been round long enough would believe what you've just said.
1. You made the claim, prove it.
2. What fool believes the cn govt *won't* have access?
Or were you just being funny?
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I lived with Chinanet for 2 years and I wouldn't use their service even if it was
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>I am at loss to as to why you think China spying on you is any different to the USA spying on you?
While the CCP's firewall and censorship makes whatever they're offering less than useless to me, the reason I would want to have China watching my Internet traffic over the US is that it is far, far less likely to actually affect my life.
You don't have to be trying to hide anything criminal - cops occasionally (or frequently, or constantly, depending on where you live) abuse their authority and access to st
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Putting aside a whole lot of stuff it says about about policing in the USA I would suggest a VPN with an exit point outside the USA would be a far better way to deal with internal snooping if you are that worried about it.
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> I am at loss to as to why you think China spying on you is any different to the USA spying on you?
One spies on you to know what you're up to *in case* you're up to no good. The other spies on you so that it can exert control over you, be that through 'influence' or through election meddling, or whatever else.
One is creepy enough, and arguably an infringement on your liberty, The other doesn't infringe on your liberty per-se, but it intends you to have a lot less liberty in future.
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There will be countries lining up for this. The US view is not the view of most countries.
Plus, what choice do they have? It's Elon Musk and Starlink, or China. The Chinese system will doubtless be cheaper, and the ability for governments to control access to it and what information is allowed to be accessed through it is seen as a feature.
From what I've read the Chinese system will use newer technology that makes it practical to integrate into mobile devices. Huawei are basically unrivalled in that area. T
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Considering the venom with which Elon is despised by the left and the US government,I daresay they'd both consider it.
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Launch all the StarLink rivals you like. What countries outside of the axis of evil would even consider using them?
What is the relevance to the common person of whether they get their internet from the fascist regime in China or from a corporation run by the fascist Elon Musk? Either way their traffic will be inspected, either way their banking will be encrypted, either way they pay their money and their packets get routed and transmitted.
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Do you not believe you could move encrypted data across their networks where they couldn't spy on you?
Uh, you might want to check . . . (Score:2)
They've already got customers lining up for it. This is Mao's Great Leap Forward actually working - if the Chinese can pull it off. For their friends, a free service they'll be only too happy to provide. For their allies, a non-Western alternative for robust global communication. For money-grubbing, free enterprise scum like us? Let's just say the first hit off the crack pipe's free, they won't raise the rates and they promise not to cut our (presumably encrypted, tunneled) comms at the worst possible
Getting crowded up there (Score:2, Interesting)
How long before we have a satellite collision? Is there some international agency that assigns orbits?
Same thing for spectrum. Who handles that?
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The sky isn't all that crowded yet, and I believe spectrum is governed by the areas that are being served.
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Generally NASA, the European, Russian, and Chinese space agencies cooperate. There is a general ruleset on who gets priority, and satellites are expensive (or at least were expensive) enough to avoid engaging in critical brinkmanship.
It will be interesting. At least these orbits are low enough that an debris will be down relatively quickly.
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How long before we have a satellite collision? Is there some international agency that assigns orbits?
Same thing for spectrum. Who handles that?
Generally, think about this: The Earth is less than 8,000 miles in diameter (ignore the fact that it is not a perfect sphere). So it's about 4,000 miles from your position to the center of the Earth. Now go up 1,200 more miles and form a perfect sphere. Put 100,000 things in orbit up there. How much space is there between objects? A sphere with 5,200 miles in radius has a surface area of 4 Pi radius^2. So you have 12*5,200*5,200 = 324 million square miles. Say you have 100,000 satellites in orbit, and you p
Re:Getting crowded up there (Score:5, Informative)
Unintentional collisions between objects at those distances is possible, but so very unlikely...
... that the ISS has to perform "unscheduled" jumps up-and-down regularly to avoid being hit by debris:
https://www.space.com/internat... [space.com]
the last few, probably an incomplete list.
https://www.space.com/internat... [space.com]
https://www.space.com/internat... [space.com]
https://www.space.com/internat... [space.com]
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The ISS contains atmo and people and is a hell of a lot larger than a Starlink satellite. Getting hit by debris is thus a major problem. Starlink satellites are much, much, much smaller than the ISS, don't contain atmo or people, and can be easily replaced if they are hit and the hit significantly damages functionality. So the ISS regularly makes jumps just to be extra safe, even if the debris almost certainly wouldn't hit them.
Re:Getting crowded up there (Score:5, Informative)
Same thing for spectrum. Who handles that?
Currently, the ITU: https://www.itu.int/ [itu.int]
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These satellites mark the first step in the company's effort to create a 15,000-strong network of Low Earth Orbit satellites, which the firm has dubbed the "Thousand Sails Constellation."
That's actually a mistranslation, if you look closely at æå--çäåOEåçYæ it actually says "Kessler Syndrome Roulette".
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At that altitude I don't think that's strictly true, it should clear out pretty fast after an "event"?
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"Same thing for spectrum. Who handles that?"
Charter Communications
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Spectrum is managed by individual countries, but of course radio waves don't stop at boarders. What tends to happen is disputed frequencies become unusable near boarders, everything from AM radio to cellular to radar.
As such the operators of these networks will want to have regional agreements in place before enabling service in individual countries, to avoid getting jammed by neighbours.
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We could always send the Space Marines to board the enemy satellites...
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Already a concern, if it hasn't already happened: https://www.linkedin.com/posts... [linkedin.com] (I saw previously they were reporting it as a collision event - I guess the truth is they don't know for certain, and LongMarch rockets seem to leave debris in orbit quite readily).
Essentially, there are now a lot more bits of crap up there than were there before they launched these 18 satellites. If they keep doing it the same way, LEO's going to be a bit of a mess.
Astrophotography (Score:2)
How long before we have a satellite collision?
Probably sometime after ground-based astrophotgraphy becomes impossible.
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Astronomers pissing mad (Score:3)
more of their astropics will be photobombed with streaks
The dark web (Score:1)
And with this, Hollywood lost the copyright war.
I forsee selling of this equipment to be banned in America. Hopefully they will open source major parts of the network so that anyone can connect (with a subscription, but using home built hardware).
I personally want an alternative to the American internet without leaving American soil, even if it's
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Looking forward to a round 2, and world peace, eventually.
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All Hail! (Score:2)
All hail China and their Starlink* overlords.
Thank you for pleasing us with your internets and your trust in me to do this correctly and pay the bill on time.
--
I grew up in Texas, but that was 20 years ago. -- Bill Paxton
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Thank you for pleasing us with your internets and your trust in me to do this correctly and pay the bill on time.
If you look closely, notice how they don't use the name "Internet", but instead use "communication services" and what I think translates to "multimedia" but may be just "media"
ScienceAlert in their own article says "Internet" but not as a quote or anything.
The original announcement only has one comparison to starlink without context, and all the other comparisons to starlink are immediately followed by the number of satellites planned.
I'm reading this not as claiming to be a rival to starlinks services, but
This is not going to end well (Score:3)
dyson (Score:2)
We're going to end up with a Dyson shell around the earth pretty soon.
Interference (Score:2)
Wow, 18? (Score:2)
6012 to go.