The satellite internet industry in Shanghai's Songjiang District has entered a period of rapid development, with Jiuting forming a specialized industrial cluster. The district is transforming into a "satellite town," focusing on commercial satellite manufacturing and terminal applications, and plans to build a dedicated industrial park for the sector.
China's low-orbit satellite constellation - the "Qianfan Constellation" - has completed five batch launches of networking satellites, marking its full transition into regular deployment. Since January this year, constellation operator Shanghai Spacesail Technologies has conducted commercial application tests in Hong Kong for smart maritime and smart agriculture scenarios, officially opening the commercial demonstration phase for the Qianfan Constellation.
The constellation is also expanding internationally. During the April 24 "China Space Day" event, Shanghai Spacesail formally signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Thailand's National Telecom.
Under the agreement, the two parties will leverage the service capabilities of the Qianfan Constellation's low-orbit satellite broadband network to enhance satellite communications in Thailand's remote areas, jointly develop the satellite broadband network market application, cultivate digital solutions, and explore new business models for low-orbit satellites.
According to Lu Ben, Senior Vice President of Shanghai Sapcesail, the Qianfan Constellation is a low-orbit satellite constellation consisting of tens of thousands of satellites, featuring full-frequency, multi-layer and multi-orbit constellation design with completely independent and controllable core technologies and industrial chains. The in-orbit satellites are all flat-panel high-throughput broadband communication satellites, offering advantages such as low cost, low power consumption and wide coverage in low-orbit operations.
LU added that combined with Shanghai Spacesail's ground monitoring stations, gateway station networks and terminal products, the constellation began conducting business performance testing and service function application demonstrations in 2025 to provide global users with low-latency, high-speed and highly reliable satellite (broadband) internet services.
As China's first giant low-orbit commercial satellite constellation to enter formal networking phase, the Qianfan Constellation's Phase 1 will deploy 648 satellites to provide regional network coverage; Phase 2 will deploy 1,296 satellites for global network coverage; and Phase 3 plans over 15,000 satellites to deliver diversified integrated services.
The first batch of networking satellites was successfully launched on August 6, 2024, while the fifth batch was launched on March 12 this year from Wenchang, Hainan using a "one rocket, 18 satellites" approach. To date, five batches of networking satellites have been launched, increasing the number of in-orbit satellites to 90, which are currently undergoing satellite (broadband) network business performance testing and service function application demonstrations.
Lu Ben stated that all Qianfan Constellation networking satellite launches adopt the "one rocket, 18 satellites" approach, demonstrating China's mature mastery of flat-panel satellite stacked "multi-satellite launch" technology. This technology designs satellites into flat-panel configurations, allowing multiple satellites to be stacked like tablets, significantly saving internal space on launch vehicles and supporting high-frequency launches of large quantities of satellites.
Lu said that upon completion, the Qianfan Constellation will operate commercially in global markets, integrating applications such as low-orbit broadband, direct-to-cell connectivity, and VDES (VHF Data Exchange System) to solve internet access problems in areas where ground communication networks cannot reach or have intermittent coverage, such as deserts, oceans, plateaus, and mountains, while empowering sectors including transportation, new energy, smart cities, smart agriculture, emergency disaster relief, and low-altitude economy, promoting global 6G communication technology development.
As the core satellite manufacturing entity for the Qianfan Constellation project and the first large-scale commercial satellite manufacturer headquartered in Shanghai, Shanghai Gesi Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd. is deeply involved in implementing the "Shanghai Satellite" mission of Shanghai's "Commercial Aerospace Strategy."
Wen Meijin, Deputy General Manager of Gesi Aerospace, revealed that the company's first factory - the G60 Satellite Digital Factory - was put into operation in December 2023, introducing flexible intelligent production line concepts from aviation and automotive industries and adopting pulsating production rhythms. The current annual production capacity reaches 300 satellites, which can expand to 600 satellites at full capacity. Last year, the company completed production of 54 satellites.
Wen disclosed that on March 25 this year, Gesi Aerospace's second-phase factory project was officially signed and landed in Songjiang District as one of Shanghai's 10 key projects at the Shanghai Global Investment Promotion Conference. The project plans to invest over 1 billion yuan to build a ton-level satellite pulsating production line with designed capacity to support annual production of 600 500kg-class satellites and 150 ton-level satellites. The new factory will mainly target the company's subsequent large-scale direct-to-cell satellites, further filling domestic gaps in ton-level satellite mass production capacity, ton-level satellite stacking test capability, direct-to-cell satellite system-level testing capability, and large solar wing assembly and verification capability.
According to Wen, in 2022, GSI Aerospace secured orders for over 600 networking satellites for the Qianfan Constellation through consortium cooperation, with contract value of approximately 4.5 billion yuan, and has successfully launched two batches totaling 36 satellites.
"We pioneered China's key technology for 18-satellite stacked launch separation, and after optimization through two launches, the product technology status has stabilized, meeting the needs for final mature application of 18 satellites per rocket and future expansion to 36 satellites per rocket," Wen said.