Issue 70

08 Flash Archive · Members Only

China to Begin Building Megaconstellation in 2023

30 Mar 2023: Andrew Jones of SpaceNews reports that China will launch a LM-5B rocket from Wenchang with a Yuanzheng-2 second stage for the first time in the second half of 2023. CASC, the China's main space contractor, stated in early March that the new Long March 5B and upper stage configuration would be used to…

Author Greg Gillinger Published August 1, 2025

30 Mar 2023: Andrew Jones of SpaceNews reports that China will launch a LM-5B rocket from Wenchang with a Yuanzheng-2 second stage for the first time in the second half of 2023. CASC, the China’s main space contractor, stated in early March that the new Long March 5B and upper stage configuration would be used to launch satellites for a LEO satellite network. Watch Guowang background Video.

– China is developing plans to deploy a 13,000-satellite low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband megaconstellation, sometimes referred to as “Guowang,” or national network, to rival Starlink and other Western ventures.

-The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a major subsidiary of CASC, and the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites (IAMCAS) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, are understood to be two entities contracted to manufacture satellites for Guowang.

-IAMCAS is expected to deliver its first 30 satellites for the project by the end of the year. Other and potentially commercial setups could also be involved in the project.

-China greatly increased its small satellite manufacturing capacity in recent years, with a number of entities each capable of producing hundreds of satellites per year. Other actors include GalaxySpace and the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC). The former launched six LEO communications test satellites last year.

-CASC’s main rocket-making arm is meanwhile preparing the Long March 5B rocket for a “high-density launch stage to meet the country’s needs for large-scale and rapid access to space.”

-The Long March 5B rocket was earlier used to send the country’s three modules directly into orbit to construct the Tiangong space station. The upper stage would instead allow for multiple satellites to be injected into various orbits.

-The earlier launches saw the 30m-long, roughly 23-ton dry mass first stages make high-profile, uncontrolled reentries after reaching orbital velocity. It is possible but unknown if the use of YZ-2 upper stage will allow for the first stage to remain suborbital land within a targeted drop zone.

-A number of Chinese commercial launch companies have meanwhile stated their aim to secure contracts to launch satellites for the Guowang project. This has apparently been reflected in newer companies looking to build medium and large launch vehicles earlier in their development.