China sent the 28th batch of low-orbit satellite internet satellites into orbit on Oct 25, lifting off from the Hainan commercial spaceport atop a Long March 8A rocket. The satellites settled into their planned orbit and the mission was declared a complete success — another constellation-building launch for the Long March 8A at the Hainan site as China's low-orbit satellite internet network gathers pace.
Satellite internet is a new kind of network infrastructure that taps large constellations of low-orbit communications satellites to deliver broadband to ground and airborne terminals, working alongside — rather than replacing — terrestrial mobile networks. Upstream in the industrial chain sit rocket launches and satellite manufacturing, spanning satellite platforms, communications payloads, phased-array antennas, laser communications terminals and T/R chips, among other core components. Midstream comes constellation deployment and operation, while downstream reaches ground terminals, direct-to-handset service, aviation and maritime connectivity and industry-specific private networks. China is pressing ahead with batch launches and constellation build-out for the China SatNet GW constellation and the G60 Thousand Sails constellation, with the Hainan commercial spaceport and commercial rockets steadily coming online.