China has submitted plans to launch around 200,000 satellites in an effort to compete with the Starlink satellite internet service operated by US company SpaceX.
According to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), a United Nations (UN) specialized agency for information and communication technologies, China has applied for the launch of the massive satellite, allocating radio frequency bands and satellite orbits.
It shows the economic strength of Asia's aim to build a version of a service like Starlink.
The Starlink system, operated by Elon Musk's company, connects satellites in low orbit with portable user devices and offers faster internet service than other satellite services. Starlink is also used by Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion.
As reported by ANTARA from Kyodo, Saturday, April 25, ITU data shows that Chinese research institutions in Heveite Province have applied for placement of 193,400 satellites into orbit in December. Last year, a number of communication companies in Beijing and Shanghai also requested permission to launch at least 10,000 satellites.
ITU allocates satellite orbits based on who registers first. Meanwhile, the Starlink service is known to use around 10,000 satellites.
A Chinese space authority official told Kyodo News that the radio frequency and satellite orbit are limited. Beijing sees it as a strategic asset that should not be ignored, so applications for its use must be submitted immediately.
According to the five-year economic development plan until 2030, China will encourage the development of satellite communication networks.
Beijing's research into how Starlink services work in Taiwan and the surrounding region also reflects its concerns about the system's reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering capabilities, which it considers could help the US in defending Taiwan.
China considers Taiwan its territory and continues to seek to control the region, including by deploying military forces if necessary.
However, a number of observers say China's plan to launch as many satellites as possible is technically impossible.
Professor Kazuto Suzuki, academic of the Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Tokyo, said China's plan was "unrealistic". Professor Suzuki believes it was done more to show off China's ability to achieve what the US can do.
In addition, China is also trying to land humans on the Moon in 2030 amid the efforts of the Chinese President Xi Jinping's government to make the Bamboo Curtain country a superpower in the space sector.
Xinhua News Agency, Friday (24/4), reported that Beijing plans to launch an exploration mission to Mars in 2028 and bring samples from Mars back to Earth in 2031.
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