China's commercial satellite sector prepares for takeoff

Through a process of agile development and rapid iteration, Galaxy-Space has established a manufacturing chain for satellites ranging from 100 to 2,000 kilograms in weight. The company's annual production capacity for medium-sized satellites has stabilized between 100 and 150 units.

Lin explained that the manufacturing cycle has been shortened by 80 percent compared to traditional models. This efficiency is driven by a "smart brain" within the factory, where algorithms continuously optimize industrial processes based on data from frontline engineers.

This shift allows the company to move away from "hand-crafted" prototypes to a streamlined industrial output capable of supporting large-scale constellations.

Technological innovation remains the primary driver for this efficiency, particularly in the development of payloads using the Q/V band.

To understand the significance of this technology, Lin compared satellite communication frequencies to highways in the sky. Traditional frequency bands are like congested city streets, limited in how much traffic they can handle.

The Q/V band represents a new, wider superhighway that allows for significantly more data traffic and higher bandwidth, which is essential for a high-speed satellite internet experience.

However, utilizing this "superhighway" requires overcoming substantial technical difficulties, as higher frequencies are more sensitive to atmospheric interference and require precise hardware.

Lin said GalaxySpace has successfully developed its fourth-generation Q/V antenna, reducing the weight from over 7 kg to just 3.2 kg while lowering the profile to 0.265 meters.

This size reduction is critical. It allows engineers to stack more satellites inside a single rocket fairing, thereby reducing the cost per unit launched. The company is now producing 300 of these advanced antennas annually.

These technical breakthroughs are being tested in the "Little Spider Web", China's first low-Earth orbit broadband trial constellation.

Comprising eight independently developed satellites, this network has verified the ability to provide continuous broadband communications for 30 minutes at a time, a key metric for proving the viability of the system.

The system has successfully conducted tests in diverse environments, from verifying power grid connectivity in Yunnan province to enabling maritime emergency communications.

Lin highlighted the company's ambitious timeline, noting that in September, it launched the world's first satellite equipped with large-scale flexible solar wings, further pushing the boundaries of power generation in orbit.

While GalaxySpace focuses on the infrastructure of satellite internet, other industry giants are concentrating on the downstream ecosystem and how these signals reach the average consumer.

Wang Hui, general manager of BeiDou Satellite Communication Co Ltd, a subsidiary of China North Industries Group (Norinco Group), highlighted this rapid evolution in the application sector.

"The application potential of China's commercial satellites is accelerating from technical verification to large-scale implementation, demonstrating broad market prospects and innovative vitality across multiple fields," Wang said.

He emphasized that these applications "are no longer confined to professional sectors, but are deeply integrating into consumer life and every link of the national economy, showing immense potential and rapid growth."

Pan Ying, deputy chief engineer at the same company, offered a distinct perspective on how Chinese companies are carving out a unique market position compared to Western competitors like SpaceX.

Pan argued that the two markets operate on fundamentally different structural logics.

SpaceX employs a "vertical integration" model, controlling the entire chain from chip manufacturing to rocket launches and terminal sales. In contrast, the Chinese ecosystem is defined by specialization, which Pan described as a "letting a hundred flowers bloom" approach.

In China, rocket manufacturers focus on launch vehicles, satellite makers focus on spacecraft, and chipmakers focus on semiconductors. Each entity dedicates its resources to its core competency.

While acknowledging that the fully integrated model allows for tighter feedback loops, Pan argued that the Chinese model excels in concentrating resources during the system construction phase.

He cited the development of the BeiDou navigation system as proof that concentrating superior resources — often under the "national team" framework — can lead to high-quality system completion in a short timeframe.

Still, he admitted that this segmentation can sometimes slow the transmission of market demands from downstream users back to upstream designers, as there is no single entity overseeing the entire loop.

To bridge this gap, Pan's company is focusing heavily on integrating satellite services into mass-market consumer devices to create a sustainable business loop.

The company is leveraging the BeiDou short message service, a unique feature of the Chinese navigation system that allows satellites to send text messages. Unlike standard GPS, which only tells users where they are, BeiDou allows users to tell others their location and status, even without ground-based mobile signals.

Pan said this feature is rarely used in daily life, but will play a crucial role in emergency scenarios.

By forming joint ventures to develop new chips, the company has successfully integrated this capability into standard smartphones without requiring bulky external antennas.

Since 2022, hundreds of millions of mobile phones equipped with BeiDou short message capabilities have been shipped, significantly driving down the cost of core components.

Pan noted that numerous news reports have already confirmed cases where users in areas without cellular coverage used the feature to send distress signals and receive rescue, validating the social and commercial value of the technology.

Beyond phones, BeiDou Satellite Communication Co Ltd is innovating through cross-industry partnerships. Pan revealed collaborations with outdoor apparel brands like Bosideng and Phoenix to embed satellite communication modules directly into outdoor gear. This strategy aims to empower traditional products with satellite capabilities, expanding the market beyond dedicated tech enthusiasts to the general public.