Qianfan, also branded as Thousand Sails or the G60 constellation, is China’s state-backed attempt at a Starlink-style broadband network. It is run through Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology, with backing from the municipal government and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The goal is sovereignty in LEO internet rather than dependence on foreign systems.

The scale of the ambition is familiar. Phase one targets several hundred satellites, with long-term plans calling for more than 13,000 spacecraft across Ku, Q, and V bands. The first launches began in 2024 on Long March 6A, but progress has been slow. By early 2025, fewer than one hundred units were in orbit, well short of the stated schedule. Technical performance has also been uneven, with failure rates well above Starlink’s and one early launch leaving a Long March upper stage shedding debris into crowded LEO.

The satellites themselves use flat-panel designs, visible to the naked eye at magnitudes that already draw complaints from astronomers. The government is marketing the system not as a consumer play but as a controlled wholesale network. Instead of chasing individuals with dishes, the plan is to sell capacity to state telcos at home and to partner governments abroad, with Brazil, Malaysia, and Thailand floated as early adopters.

The reality today is a gap between ambition and execution. Launch cadence is slow, orbital reliability is weak, and the constellation is far from scale. Qianfan is not yet a functional network. What it represents is a political declaration: China will not allow Starlink to dominate space-based broadband unopposed. The technology can improve, the launch rate can be accelerated, but the intent is already clear. This is about control and sovereignty, not customers or revenue.