China begins mega-constellation construction! [Long March 6A Y21]

China has begun building its first mega-constellation in low Earth orbit.

The Long March 6A lifting off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. ©Zhou Quan

At 14:42 pm China Standard Time, or 06:42 am Universal Coordinated Time, on August 6th, the first batch of satellites for the Shanghai-backed Qianfan mega-constellation was sent skyward! This first batch of 18 satellites were sent to a polar orbit atop of a Long March 6A from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.

The Qianfan (千帆) mega-constellation, formerly called G60 Starlink, is operated by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology, which is partly backed by the municipal government of Shanghai. Qianfan is also part of Shanghai's plan to foster a strong space industry between 2023 and 2025.

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