Starlink rival Qianfan hits satellite milestone, but is it too slow and costly?

China’s Qianfan network has hit a national milestone by placing over 200 broadband satellites in orbit, but there are concerns its deployment could be too slow and costly.

The constellation now has 201 satellites after a successful launch on board a Zhuque-2E rocket from the Gobi Desert at 4.23pm Beijing time on Tuesday.

The mission delivered Qianfan DTC-01 – a direct-to-cell test satellite – alongside a satellite from China Mobile, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The flight followed back-to-back launches last Thursday and Friday from Taiyuan in central China and the new spaceport in southernmost Hainan, each sending 18 Qianfan satellites into orbit.

Despite the quickening pace, the Starlink challenger’s roll-out still lags behind official targets.

A source working at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre said Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST) – the company behind Qianfan – had sent a delegation to watch Tuesday’s launch.

  

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