China's Geespace deploys 10 low-orbit satellites, targeting Starlink’s market

Geespace, backed by Chinese automaker Geely, said on Friday that it launched a third batch of satellites to form a mega constellation, the China equivalent of US firm SpaceX's Starlink.

The 10 low Earth orbit satellites were launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in the northern province of Shanxi, Geespace said in a statement.

"With this latest launch, the constellation now includes 30 satellites, covering 90% of the globe with 24-hour communication services," Geespace said.

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"This deployment marks the first time a Chinese commercial aerospace company has offered LEO satellite communication on a global scale," the company said.

The carmaker's Geely Technology Group established Geespace for research, launching, and operation of low-orbit satellites in 2018.

LEO satellites normally operate within altitudes of 300-2,000 km above the Earth's surface and enjoy relative advantages in cost and transmission efficiency compared with higher-orbit satellites.

Geespace launched its first 20 satellites into orbit in two separate launches, in 2022 and earlier this year.

Geespace intends to deploy a constellation of close to 6,000 LEO satellites that would be deployed to provide global broadband. The company called the satellite constellation "China's private equivalent to 'Starlink.'"

SpaceX's Starlink is an increasingly implemented commercial broadband constellation presently with approximately 5,500 satellites in space, used by consumers, companies, and government agencies.

Starlink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has tens of thousands of users in the US, with plans for tens of thousands more satellites for the system - already the largest of its kind.

Geespace's Friday satellite launch is part of the first construction phase for its constellation to be in orbit, servicing more than 200 million users globally by the end of 2025.

In the second phase, another 264 satellites will be added for mobile phone communications, and in the third phase, 5,676 satellites will be launched for high-speed broadband.

Geespace is one of many Chinese companies hoping to compete with Starlink.

Last month, state-owned Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology launched a batch of LEO satellites from Taiyuan for its "Thousand Sails Constellation," also known as the "G60 Starlink Plan".

It aims to launch 108 satellites this year, 648 satellites by the end of 2025, and have a total of 15,000 deployed before 2030.