Communications

QIANFAN-35

Broadband communications · Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST)

This satellite is part of China's Qianfan ("Thousand Sails") broadband megaconstellation, one of two competing Chinese answers to Starlink, distinct from the separate Guowang project. This particular satellite launched October 15, 2024 aboard a Long March 6A rocket from Taiyuan, as one of eighteen satellites in the constellation's second batch. Also marketed internationally as SpaceSail or G60 Starlink, the constellation is being built by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST) with plans to eventually field somewhere between 14,000 and 15,000 satellites providing global broadband internet, positioning China's commercial space sector to compete directly with SpaceX's dominance in low-Earth-orbit connectivity. Qianfan's first launch batch, in August 2024, made unwelcome headlines when its Long March 6A upper stage broke apart after deployment, scattering debris in orbit and briefly forcing the International Space Station to maneuver away from the resulting cloud — a stark reminder that megaconstellation buildouts carry real collision and debris risk even when the satellites themselves function as intended. Per Orbital Traffic style convention, all satellites in a single mega-constellation share this one description rather than receiving individual write-ups.