# satellite constellations
Latest news and articles about satellite constellations
Total: 5 articles found
China’s Commercial Launch Calendar Tightens as State and Private Reusable Rockets Gear Up for 2026
China has set first‑flight windows for two reusable rockets in 2026: the state-backed CZ‑12B in the first half of the year and private SQX‑3 by year‑end. Both programmes aim to lower launch costs and increase cadence to meet demand from large low‑Earth‑orbit constellations, but technical risks — especially stage recovery — remain a key hurdle.
Guangdong Bets on Reusable Heavy Rockets to Turn Launches into Routine Services
Guangdong’s 2026–2035 industrial plan champions commercial space, prioritising manufacturing, production lines and pilots for thousand-ton-class reusable rockets to create an airline-style launch cadence. The move leverages the province’s manufacturing base and could accelerate China’s commercial launch and satellite capabilities, while raising technical, regulatory and space-traffic challenges.
Shanghai Pushes to Turn ‘Space Compute’ into a Strategic Industry — UCloud CEO Urges Labs, Standards and Cross‑Regional Clusters
Ji Xinhua, chairman of cloud firm UCloud and a Shanghai municipal delegate, has urged the city to fast‑track “space compute” by creating a dedicated funding programme, a national key laboratory, in‑orbit testbeds and industry alliances. His proposals span hardware, software standards for domestic GPUs, an AI‑for‑Science compute pool and regional cooperation to position Shanghai as a hub for a strategically important, fast‑growing sector.
Space Solar Rush: China’s PV Industry Eyes Orbit as Satellites and AI Drive Demand
Chinese photovoltaic firms are accelerating research and small-scale production work on space-adapted solar cells as interest in orbital power grows, fuelled by large satellite constellation plans and rising demand for continuous compute. Technical resilience, not lowest cost, is now the decisive attribute for space PV, and commercialisation will hinge on in-orbit validation, manufacturing scale-up and falling launch costs.
Two Rocket Failures in One Day Expose China’s Launch Bottleneck and the Fragility of Commercial Space Ambitions
On 17 January 2026 two Chinese launch vehicles — a Long March 3B and the privately built Gushenxing-2 — failed in separate missions, highlighting a launch‑capacity bottleneck that threatens commercial space ambitions. The twin setbacks renew focus on the technical challenge of reusable rockets, the need for steady satellite‑constellation demand, and the role of regulation in shaping industry growth.