China wants 200,000 satellites
January 13, 2026
China has filed paperwork with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) for a truly mega-constellation of 200,000 satellites. Chinese authorities have also called for greater transparency in the satellite sector and closer coordination.
According to the ITU, multiple Chinese satellite operators submitted applications for more than 200,000 satellite frequencies during the final week of 2025.
This batch of applications covers a dozen satellite constellations by various Chinese companies. Notably, two constellations – CTC-1 and CTC-2 – each applied for 96,714 satellites, totalling more than 190,000 satellites, making them the main contributors in this round.
Other Chinese companies and local telcos, including China Satellite Network Group Co, Shanghai Yuanxin Satellite Technology Co, China Mobile, China Telecom, and Guodian Gaoke, are also seen on the ITU’s documentation.
The ITU has rules covering such ‘paper filings’. The ITU has a mechanism requiring satellite constellations to achieve 10 per cent deployment within two years after the end of the current regulatory period for bringing them into use, 50 per cent within five years, and complete deployment within seven years, or else their frequency allocations will expire.
China currently has three planned mega-constellations each involving more than 10,000 satellites, including China Satellite Network Group’s GW constellation, Shanghai Yuanxin’s Spacesail Constellation, and Hongqing Technology’s Honghu-3 constellation. As of October 2025, the GW constellation had launched a total of 116 satellites, including experimental and operational satellites, while the Qianfan constellation had deployed 108 networking satellites, excluding four experimental satellites launched before 2024, according to a report in Global Times.
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