Overview
- The filings, submitted on 29 December and now posted on the ITU website, cover 14 proposed constellations led by a newly formed state research institute.
- The largest networks, CTC-1 and CTC-2, each list 96,714 satellites spread across 3,660 orbits and account for most of the total.
- Participants span state-backed and commercial entities, including China Satellite Network Group, China Mobile, China Telecom, GalaxySpace, Guodian Gaoke, Spacety and Shanghai Yuanxin Satellite Technology.
- Chinese officials describe the move as a routine, rules-based step, while analysts say it could be a strategic reservation of spectrum and orbital options rather than a literal plan to deploy every satellite.
- Meeting ITU milestones would be formidable given current launch rates, with estimates of more than 500 satellites per week required as SpaceX’s Starlink already operates roughly 9,400 satellites.