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Space is getting crowded. While the U.S. still owns and operates the vast majority of satellites in space, China is the world’s second-largest operator of satellites, with most owned by the government and People’s Liberation Army. China’s fleet of privately-owned satellites is also increasing as more commercial satellite companies enter the market and expand — a trend that suits China’s military-civil fusion policy as it seeks to foster close ties between government and commercial interests in the burgeoning industry.
This week we take a closer look at China’s growing number of satellites and their operators.
China Operates Hundreds of Satellites, and the Number is Growing
There are more than 2,600 active satellites, according to a database maintained by the Union of Concerned Scientists, an nonprofit science advocacy organization, and last updated in April 2020.
The U.S. has 1,308 satellites, followed by China with 356, according to UCS. There are about 9,600 both active and inactive satellites and spacecraft in space, according to the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs’ index of objects launched into space.

Data: UCS
The number of satellites launched each year continues to increase, from 453 in 2018 to 580 in 2019, and 583 already launched as of August 20201More than 227 satellites have been launched since April, when the UCS data was last updated., according to UNOOSA.
The cost and availability of satellites has dropped in recent years, and satellite applications have become ubiquitous. Satellites now power global communications and navigation and provide data that informs everything from agriculture to weather to military operations, and more.
Furthermore, governments and companies are now planning large constellations of satellites, such as SpaceX’s planned StarLink megaconstellation or Amazon’s recently-approved internet satellites project, both to eventually consist of thousands of satellites, or China’s Hongyan constellation, which will contain 320 satellites.
The result is increasing congestion in the sky and worries about collisions that could cripple satellites and their critical applications. There is no international body that strongly regulates space or approves satellite launches.

*Up to April 2020
Data: UCS
The Government and Military are the Biggest Users of Chinese Satellites
The Chinese government and the People’s Liberation Army are the top users of Chinese satellites. They use satellites for navigation, intelligence-gathering, surveillance, emergency response and monitoring weather and ground conditions, and more.
In contrast, most U.S. satellites are purely commercial. SpaceX and Planet Labs, the Earth imaging company, currently dominate the field.

Data: UCS
However, commercial satellites in China are becoming more common. As The Wire wrote previously, China’s commercial space sector has opened up in recent years, due partly to changes in government policy, as well as growing opportunities and ambitions.
Much of the new activity involves building, launching, and operating small satellites. China’s satellite launch and manufacturing industries brought in $2.35 billion in revenue last year, compared to $17.4 billion by those industries globally, according to figures from Bryce Space and Technology, an analytics and engineering firm.
China emphasizes a policy of military-civil fusion in the space industry, with the development of technology that will bring both military and economic growth. Satellites are inherently a dual-use technology, and the military and government often work closely with commercial enterprises in the industry. For example, the Beidou program is run by the PLA, but civilian companies such as Beijing Unistrong Science and Technology have been heavily involved in its development, according to a report by the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission.
Manufacturers and Operators of China’s Satellites
Below are examples of Chinese satellites, their uses and operators.
Though commercial enterprises operate a growing number of satellites, they often need the government’s help to manufacture or launch them. Chinese satellites are launched from government launch sites, with more than 90 percent on Long March rockets, and state defense contractors like China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) provide access to supply chains.
Satellites | Operator | Contractor | Launch Vehicle | Use |
---|---|---|---|---|
AsiaSat | Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd. | Boeing and Space Systems/Loral | Russian Breeze and Proton rockets, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket | State-owned Citic Group and American Carlyle Group co-own AsiaSat, a Hong Kong-based company. Exploiting a loophole in U.S. export controls, the company rents bandwidth on its satellites that reportedly is parcelled out partly for Chinese military uses. |
Beidou | Military/Government | Space Technology Research Institute (part of CASC) | Long March rocket | China’s answer to the U.S.’s GPS, the Beidou satellites are used for global positioning. The final satellite of the third-generation Beidou system was launched this June. |
DAMPE (Dark Matter Particle Explorer) | Government | Chinese Academy of Sciences | Long March rocket | DAMPE is a scientific satellite whose purpose is to search for dark matter. |
Gaofen | Military/Government | CASC, CAST, SAST | Long March rocket | The Gaofen satellites are high-resolution Earth observation satellites used by the China National Academy of Sciences, the State Oceanic Administration, the PLA, and the Ministry of Natural Resources, among others. |
Jilin | Chang Guang Satellite Technology | Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. Ltd. | Long March and Kuaizhou rockets | A remote sensing satellite constellation currently consisting of at least 16 satellites. Chang Guang has signed a partnership with Huawei to collaborate on technology, the Global Times reported. |
Ladybird | Commsat | Beijing Commsat Technology Development Co. Ltd. | Long March rocket | The Ladybird constellation, which will feature 72 satellites, is used for IoT applications. One of the satellites also reportedly carried K-pop star Jennie Kim’s picture. |
Naxing-2 | Tsinghua University | Tsinghua University | Long March rocket | Developed by Tsinghua to evaluate technologies such as new star trackers, gyroscopes and magnetometers. Also carried two nanosatellites that were released from it, ZJ-1 and KJSY-1. |
Tangguo Guan (Candy Can) | Alibaba | Unknown | Long March rocket | A small satellite used by AliExpress to send coupons to shoppers’ phones. |
Tianqi | Guodian Gaoke | Guodian Gaoke | Long March, Jielong, and Kuaizhou rockets | A series of satellites used for IoT communications. |
Xiaoxiang and TianYi | Spacety | Spacety Aerospace Co. | Long March and Kuaizhou rockets (Kuaizhou rockets are developed by CASIC commercial subsidiary ExPace) | CubeSats developed by Spacety and used for technology development — e.g. Xiaoxiang 1-07 tested the deployment of a solar sail. |
Yaogan | Military | Mostly CAST and SAST | Long March rocket | Believed to be used for military intelligence, especially ocean surveillance, allowing the PLA to locate U.S. aircraft carriers and warships. There are at least 58 Yaogan satellites in operation. |
Zhuhai | Zhuhai Orbita | Zhuhai Orbita Control Engineering Co. Ltd. | Long March rocket | The Zhuhai satellite constellation, at least 12 of which are already in orbit, will feature 34 Earth observation satellites, including video, hyperspectral, optical, radar, and infrared satellites. |
*CAST = China Academy of Space Technology, SAST = Shanghai Academy of Satellite Technology
Data: UCS

Emma Bingham is a Boston-based editor for The Wire. Previously, she was editor in chief of The Tech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. @emmapbingham