Madagascar

Starlink

A Chinese state-owned satellite company, <a href="https://www.mwcshanghai.com/exhibitors/29287-shanghai-spacecom-satellite-technology-ltd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology Ltd</a>. (SSST) has launched the first batch of satellites for a mega-constellation. According to a report, the launch marks an important step in Beijing’s strategic goal of creating a rival for US global internet network company SpaceX’s Starlink. 
According to the report, the launch, led by SSST, took place at Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre, one of China’s main satellite and missile launch centres, located in the northern province of Shanxi. 
SSST was founded in March 2018 by Shanghai Alliance Investment. The company is committed to becoming an international and commercial satellite industry group and satellite communication service operator. 
“We aim to make sure everyone can benefit from the development of a digital world in future by providing connectivity to every single corner of this planet”, the Chinese satellite company said on its website. 
In February, the Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology raised 6.7 billion yuan ($933 million) in Series A funding for the construction of the low-orbit satellite constellation. The round was led by a fund set up by the National Manufacturing Transformation and Upgrading Fund (NMTUF). 
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Official documents reveal that the NMTUF’s backers include China’s finance ministry and state-owned companies such as China Tobacco. 
SSST is leveraging the low-cost, highly integrated and fast iterative intelligent manufacturing technology to build, deploy and operate a commercial low-orbit broadband satellite constellation with worldwide coverage. “The launch is part of SSST’s ‘Thousand Sails Constellation’ plan, also known as the G60 Starlink Plan, which began last year and aims to deploy more than 15,000 low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites”, the <a href="https://x.com/DongFangHour/status/1753787312406732856" target="_blank">report </a>indicated. 
LEO satellites usually operate at altitudes of 300km to 2,000 km from the Earth’s surface and have the advantage of being cheaper and providing more efficient transmission than satellites at higher orbits. It will provide high-speed, real-time, secure and reliable Space-Ground-Ocean integrated services for users globally. 
According to a <a href="https://techcentral.co.za/china-launches-starlink-rival/249146/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reuters</a> report, Chinese researchers in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have over the past two years studied the deployment of Starlink in the war in Ukraine and repeatedly warned about the risks it poses to China should the country find itself in a military conflict with the US. 
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In January, an op-ed published in a PLA mouthpiece described the deployment of Starlink as a “serious threat to the security of space assets of various countries”. Hence, SSST’s “Thousand Sails constellation” is one of three “ten-thousand-star constellation” plans China is hoping will allow it to close the gap with SpaceX. 
“SSST plans to launch 108 satellites this year, 648 satellites by the end of 2025, provide a global network coverage by 2027, and get to 15,000 satellites deployed before 2030”, the report indicated. 
<h4 id="ssst-challenging-starlinks-giant-strides" class="wp-block-heading">SSST: Challenging Starlink’s giant strides…</h4> 
Starlink, operated by billionaire Elon Musk, has over 500 thousand users globally. Last month, SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service landed in Madagascar, marking the 10th African nation and <a href="https://technext24.com/2024/05/20/starlink-now-available-in-99-countries/#google_vignette">100th in the world</a> to enjoy its high-speed connectivity. 
The launch in Madagascar comes shortly after announcing a timeframe for service activation in Lesotho, leaving South Africa as the only Southern African country without confirmed access. Out of Africa’s 54 countries, only 15 lack an estimated availability timeframe. 
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 A starlink router…
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This is also coming after the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) revealed that Starlink became the third-largest internet service provider by subscriber count in the fourth quarter of 2023, less than a year after its January 2023 launch in the country. 
According to the NCC, the Elon Musk-led company recorded an aggregate of 23,897 active subscribed customers by the end of 2023. This represents a 113 per cent increase from 11,207 customers recorded at the end of the third quarter of 2023.
The post <a href="https://technext24.com/2024/08/05/chinese-ssst-rival-launch-satellites/">Chinese Elon Musk’s Starlink rival, SSST launches first satellites</a> first appeared on <a href="https://technext24.com">Technext</a>.

Chinese Elon Musk’s Starlink rival, SSST launches first satellites

Technext.ng

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