Science & technology | A thousand sails

Why China is building a Starlink system of its own

When it is finished, Qianfan could number 14,000 satellites, rivalling Elon Musk’s system

A modified Long March-6 carrier rocket carrying a new group of satellites blasts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.
Photograph: REX Shutterstock

Editor’s note: On December 16th GuoWang, a satellite constellation backed by China’s central government, launched its first batch of ten satellites. It would be the country’s second competitor for Starlink.

Explore more

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “A thousand sails”

From the December 14th 2024 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Science & technology

A person blowing about a pattern in the shape of a brain

Can you breathe stress away?

It won’t hurt to try. But scientists are only beginning to understand the links between the breath and the mind

The Economist’s science and technology internship

We invite applications for the 2025 Richard Casement internship


A man sits inside a pixelated pink brain while examining a clipboard, with colored squares falling from the brain

A better understanding of Huntington’s disease brings hope

Previous research seems to have misinterpreted what is going on


Is obesity a disease?

It wasn’t. But it is now

Volunteers with Down’s syndrome could help find Alzheimer’s drugs

Those with the syndrome have more of a protein implicated in dementia

Should you start lifting weights?

You’ll stay healthier for longer if you’re strong