So long and thanks for all the space junk: China-based Starlink competitor SpaceSail plans to have 15,000 satellites deployed by 2030, and it's not the only one with its eyes on the skies

pcgamer.com:

If I say to you «satellite-based internet provider», your first thought is probably Starlink. A subsidiary of Elon Musk's space technology company SpaceX, Starlink has launched a total of 8,000 internet-providing satellites as of February 22, with many more planned in the future. However, rival satellite companies are waiting in the wings, including the reportedly Chinese state-backed SpaceSail, which plans to have up to 15,000 satellites orbiting Earth by 2030.

SpaceSail signed an agreement to provide internet coverage in Brazil last year and announced it was in talks with over 30 countries to provide a similar service (via Reuters). Brazil is also in talks with Jeff Bezos' Project Kuiper, an Amazon subsidiary that also plans to launch thousands of internet-beaming satellites into the inky beyond above our heads.

The Chinese government is said to view Musk's increasing satellite dominance as a threat, particularly after seeing Starlink's importance in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The country is believed to have launched a record 263 LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellites last year alone, but that's dwarfed by SpaceSail's plans to launch 648 of its own satellites this year, and a further 14,000 odd internet-transmitting devices in orbit over the next five years.

SpaceSail's launches are said to be in aid of building what is referred to as the Qianfan, or «Thousand Sails Constellation», which aims to provide a satellite-based system of worldwide internet coverage. The Thousand Sails program began in 2023 with the creation of the «Shanghai Action Plan to Promote Commercial Aerospace Development and Create a Space Information Industry Highland», which probably sounds a lot catchier when it's not translated by Google.

It's not like StarLink plans to sit on its hands, however. 12,000 satellites are currently planned to be launched by the company, and SpaceX is believed to have plans to eventually grow that number to 42,000 in the coming years.

So, that's a lot of big hunks