Chinese commercial satellite constellation completes network connection test

SHANGHAI -- Spacesail Constellation, a Chinese commercial low-orbit satellite constellation, has completed a network connection test, the first application test since the launch of its commercial networking.

According to information provided by the constellation's developer Shanghai Spacesail Technologies Co., Ltd. on Thursday, the test was to see if the low-orbit satellite broadband network data could be accessed by a cruise liner.

The cruise liner managed to connect to the network cloud management platform of China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited when passing the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Wednesday, securing a high-speed network connection service.

The application test also proved that the quality of internet services provided to various maritime vessels, including cruise liners, can be significantly enhanced via the Spacesail Constellation.

During the test, the digital terminal successfully docked with the Spacesail Constellation ground commercial terminal -- underlining the commercial value of this domestic large-scale low-orbit internet constellation.

The Spacesail Constellation project has seen three groups comprising a total of 54 networking satellites sent into space. The first of these groups was launched on Aug 6, 2024.