Qianfan (Thousand Sails) / connectivity constellation
sourcingtypical 4/5 · 10 factsQianfan, officially the Spacesail Constellation and also referred to as G60 Starlink, is a planned Chinese satellite internet constellation in low Earth orbit created by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), a firm backed by the Shanghai Municipal People's Government and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The project began in 2024 as a rival to Starlink and plans to be constituted of over 15,000 satellites by the project's end, with Phase 1 comprising 1,296 satellites. Satellite launches started in August 2024, and as of June 2026 200 satellites have been launched.
faq
Who operates Qianfan (Thousand Sails)?
Qianfan (Thousand Sails) is operated by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST). (source, as of 2026-07-08)
How many Qianfan (Thousand Sails) satellites are active on orbit?
CelesTrak's catalog currently tracks 238 objects for Qianfan (Thousand Sails). (source, as of 2026-09-08)
When did Qianfan (Thousand Sails) first launch?
Qianfan (Thousand Sails) first launched on 2024-08-06. (source, as of 2026-07-08)
facts
sats active (verified) counts objects currently tracked in CelesTrak's catalog for this constellation. It is a tracking count, not an operator claim about satellite health.
orbit
timeline
- 20242024-08-06China launches first 18 Qianfan satellites on Long March 6A (per SpaceNews) (source, as of 2026-07-12)
- 2024-02SSST raises 6.7 billion yuan to build the Qianfan constellation (per SpaceNews) (source, as of 2026-07-12)
sources
Includes data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC-BY.