China launches new rocket crucial to challenging Musk’s Starlink

A NEW Chinese rocket took off on its debut mission, marking a major step in Beijing’s effort to catch up with Elon Musk’s Starlink.

The first Long March 8A rocket launched from the Wenchang Space Launch Site in Hainan, the island province in the South China Sea, at 5.30 pm local time, state media reported.

The inaugural flight transported a group of low-Earth orbit satellites to space, according to state media.

“In the near future, the Long March 8A will be used to deploy large numbers of satellites for China’s massive space-based Internet networks,” the official China Daily newspaper reported, citing Song Zhengyu, a senior rocket scientist at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.

“China now has multiple Internet satellite networks under construction, but keeps low-key about those projects,” the China Daily added.

Low-Earth orbit, or LEO, is the area in space where SpaceX has sent more than 7,000 of its Starlink satellites.

SEE ALSO

SpaceX catches Starship booster in crucial test flight

Rocket Lab satellite launch puts SpaceX challenger back on track

China’s Space Pioneer raises 1.5 billion yuan to fund development of reusable rockets

Japanese startup’s space rocket launch fails

SpaceX gets US contract to expand Ukraine’s access to Starshield

World’s first wooden satellite, developed in Japan, heads to space

Musk takes on Indian billionaires over satellite spectrum allocation

Vietnam says Musk’s SpaceX plans US$15 billion Starlink investment

More

DECODING ASIA

Navigate Asia in
a new global order

Get the insights delivered to your inbox.

Other companies focusing on LEO include Amazon.com, which expects to initiate service of a satellite network called Project Kuiper later this year.

Compared with SpaceX, China has been slow in building LEO constellations. The country has plans to catch up with networks such as Spacesail, which last year signed an agreement with a Brazilian partner to launch service in the country.

Spacesail reached another agreement, with Malaysian satellite operator Measat Global, on Feb 6. BLOOMBERG