China’s SpaceSail aims to rival Starlink with state backing
7 reported
A Chinese government-backed satellite internet project called SpaceSail is aiming to challenge Elon Musk’s Starlink, which has long dominated the industry. SpaceSail currently has just a few hundred satellites in low Earth orbit compared with Starlink’s more than 10,000, but the company says it now has enough satellites to begin its first commercial application and is scaling up at speed. According to Blaine Curcio, founder of Hong Kong-based Orbital Gateway Consulting, SpaceSail is “deliberately targeting” places where Starlink has faced political or regulatory issues. Curcio compared SpaceSail’s playbook to Chinese electric car maker BYD, which used billions in government subsidies to overtake Tesla in global sales. SpaceSail’s recent fundraising round was dwarfed by Starlink owner SpaceX’s record-breaking $85.7bn initial public offering. The company is reportedly negotiating with dozens of countries to provide satellite internet coverage.
What’s reported
SpaceSail is a Chinese government-backed satellite internet project.
It has just a few hundred satellites in low Earth orbit, compared to Starlink’s 10,000-plus.
SpaceSail says it has enough satellites to begin its first commercial application and is scaling up at speed.
The company is reportedly negotiating with dozens of countries to provide satellite internet coverage.
Blaine Curcio, founder of Orbital Gateway Consulting, stated SpaceSail is “deliberately targeting” places where Starlink has faced political or regulatory issues.
Curcio compared SpaceSail’s strategy to Chinese electric car maker BYD, which used government subsidies to overtake Tesla.
SpaceSail’s recent fundraising round was smaller than SpaceX’s $85.7bn initial public offering.
Key figures
Elon Musk (owner of Starlink and SpaceX)
Blaine Curcio (founder of Orbital Gateway Consulting)
Sources: The Guardian
