HELSINKI — China launched new Guowang satellites Sunday, expanding its LEO broadband network as part of a growing effort to build a sovereign space internet.
The Long March 6A rocket carrying the satellites lifted off at 6:03 a.m. Eastern (1003 UTC) July 27 from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced the success of the launch via its Chinese language social media channels. While the launch was expected, the payload was unknown until after the declaration of launch success.
The satellites are described simply as the satellite Internet low-orbit group 05, corresponding to China’s Guowang national proliferated low Earth orbit (LEO) broadband project. The satellites were developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a major spacecraft maker under state-owned CASC. No images of Guowang satellites have been published.
The number of satellites launched was not disclosed, and U.S. Space Force had not cataloged the launch at time of reporting. If consistent with a similar Long March 6A launch in early June, the mission will have carried five Guowang satellites into orbit.
Guowang will now have 39 satellites in orbit, launched across five missions, starting in December 2024. An uptick in Guowang launches could be taking place, with Long March 8A (no earlier than July 30) and Long March 5B (no earlier than August 12) rocket launches with undisclosed payloads scheduled to launch from Wenchang spaceport and the Hainan commercial launch complex.
Guowang is widely seen as China’s answer to Starlink, offering a sovereign, dual-use satellite network to secure both civil and strategic communications infrastructure. The China Satellite Network Group Co., Ltd. (“China SatNet”), established in April 2021, is responsible for Guowang.
The constellation is based on China’s filing with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in September 2020 for a total of 12,992 satellites. According to the filings, two sets of satellites—GW-A59 and GW-A2—are outlined. These will operate at altitudes below 500 km and between 600–1145 km respectively, using a mix of orbital planes.
According to an August 2024 issue of the China Aerospace journal, the Guowang constellation is expected to adopt new-generation dynamic beam control and optical inter-satellite links, enabling high flexibility and customization. The satellites will serve both government and civilian users, providing broadband connectivity and tailored data service.
Yuan Jungang, introduced as chief designer of China’s internet satellite program, recently provided new insights into the Guowang project in a presentation for China Science Communication.
Guowang, Yuan said, aims to address limited coverage, especially for remote areas, vulnerability in emergencies and support the low-altitude economy. It will provide high-speed, low-latency connectivity, and can be rapidly adapted for military or emergency use. The system will use flat-panel satellites, learning from SpaceX, as well as flexible solar arrays and efficient electric propulsion. Optical inter-satellite laser links are noted as critical, yet challenging, though maturity is expected next year.
He revealed that the satellite internet test satellites 0001-0004, launched April 1, were related to the Guowang project. These were the first such test satellites launched into a below 500 km LEO.
The near-term target for Guowang is to have 400 satellites in orbit by 2027, Yuan noted. Beyond this, as previously reported, China will need to launch 10% of the total number of planned satellites by September 2029, according to International Telecommunications Union (ITU) rules, to avoid spectrum penalties.
Sunday’s launch was China’s 38th launch of 2025, following the Tianzhou-9 cargo mission to the Tiangong space station, launched successfully July 14. Upcoming launches include the aforementioned Long March 8A and Long March 5B missions, along with a potential Long March 11 launch from Xichang (July 31) and a second launch of the Long March 12 from Hainan no earlier than Aug. 3.
Commercial solid rockets from iSpace, Expace, Galactic Energy and China Rocket could also take place in August. Galactic Energy could soon debut its larger Ceres-2 from Jiuquan, northwest China.