What is China’s SpaceSail, and could it rival Elon Musk’s Starlink?
The company has just a few hundred satellites in low Earth orbit but has state backing and is already reportedly negotiating with dozens of countries Elon Musk’s Starlink has long dominated the satellite internet industry, but a Chinese government-backed project is aiming to challenge its position. SpaceSail has just a few hundred satellites in low Earth orbit compared with Starlink’s 10,000-plus. But the company says it now has enough satellites to begin its first commercial application, is scaling up at speed, and is reportedly negotiating with dozens of countries to provide satellite internet coverage. Continue reading...
By Alastair McCready
How does SpaceSail compare to Starlink?
Starlink is an industry leader with more than 12 million active users across 160 countries and territories. It operates a constellation of around 10,413 satellites, with plans to eventually expand to 42,000.
SpaceSail lags far behind, but it has big ambitions. The firm says it will have more than 10,000 satellites operating in low-altitude orbit by the end of 2030.
Analyst Curcio cautions that SpaceSail’s success is far from guaranteed, and that it also faces competition from within China. SpaceSail must compete for rockets and funding with domestic rival SatNet – another Chinese state-owned firm building its own similarly sized constellation of satellites, called Guowang. SpaceSail, however, remains a more natural competitor to Starlink, with SatNet primarily focused on domestic telecoms and national security.
SpaceSail is reportedly negotiating with 30 countries to launch its service, already finding success as a Starlink alternative where agreements with Musk’s company have broken down. It has already secured a major contract in Brazil, where authorities clashed with Musk in 2024 over the billionaire’s alleged failure to moderate content on his social media platform X. In February, Brazil’s telecoms regulatory agency Anatel authorised SpaceSail to commence commercial services.
SpaceSail has also made headway in Kazakhstan, registering a subsidiary in the country in January 2025, after talks with Starlink broke down over data-storage and security requirements.
In December, it signed a deal with European aircraft manufacturer Airbus to include SpaceSail as an in-flight wifi option.