According to a report by Reuters, among the competition is Shanghai-based SpaceSail, which signed an agreement last November to enter Brazil and is in talks with over 30 other countries.
Earlier this year, the company also began operations in Kazakhstan, according to the Kazakh embassy in Beijing. Meanwhile, Brazil is negotiating with Bezos’ Project Kuiper and Canadian satellite provider Telesat, according to a Brazilian official involved in the discussions, who spoke anonymously.
The Chinese government is backing SpaceSail’s expansion, with plans to launch 648 LEO satellites in 2025 and as many as 15,000 by 2030.
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In addition to SpaceSail, three other Chinese satellite constellations are in development, with Beijing aiming to deploy 43,000 LEO satellites in the coming years.
The country is also investing in rocket systems capable of launching multiple satellites at once, the report stated.
This comes as last year, China launched a record 263 LEO satellites, according to astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell’s data analysed by tech consultancy Analysys Mason.
Beijing has also been funding military research aimed at tracking satellite constellations, Reuters stated.
Responding to Reuters, China’s foreign ministry stated that while it was unaware of the specifics of SpaceSail’s expansion, Beijing engages in space cooperation for mutual benefit.
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