The global space race is intensifying dramatically. According to the latest information from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) website, China applied for frequency and orbital resources for over 200,000 satellites in December 2025. Of these, more than 190,000 applications were submitted by the Radio Innovation Institute (full name: Radio Spectrum Development, Utilization and Technological Innovation Research Institute).
Simultaneously, Elon Musk's SpaceX has made a significant move. On January 9 local time, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission approved a next-generation satellite constellation plan, authorizing SpaceX to deploy and operate an additional 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites, building upon its existing fleet of 8,000. This authorization brings the total number of approved second-generation satellites globally to over 15,000.
The applications cover more than 200,000 satellites. As shown on the ITU website, during the final week of 2025, China filed applications for multiple satellite constellations with the ITU, with a total declared scale exceeding 200,000 satellites. This filing encompasses 14 satellite constellations. Notably, the Radio Innovation Institute's CTC-1 and CTC-2 constellations each applied for 96,714 satellites, totaling over 190,000 and constituting the bulk of this round of applications.
The entities applying for satellite spectrum and orbits have significantly expanded, involving numerous companies and institutions including China Satellite Network Group (China SatNet), Shanghai Yuanxin, China Mobile, China Telecom, the Radio Innovation Institute, Guodian Gaoke, Space Flight Star, and Galaxy Space.
Public information indicates that the Radio Innovation Institute was registered and established on December 30, 2025, in the Xiong'an New Area. It is the first new-type R&D institution in China's radio management technology sector focused on technological innovation and the commercialization of research outcomes.
Remarkably, just one day prior to its registration on December 29, the massive CTC-1 and CTC-2 satellite constellation plans were submitted to the ITU under the name of the Radio Innovation Institute.
The Radio Innovation Institute is jointly established by seven entities: the State Radio Monitoring Center, the Administrative Committee of Hebei Xiong'an New Area, the Hebei Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, China Satellite Network Group Co., Ltd., Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beijing Jiaotong University, and China Electronics Technology Group Corporation. With a vision to serve the satellite internet industry, research electromagnetic space technology, and unlock the potential value of spectrum resources, it focuses on the deep integration of spectrum development and technological innovation, aiming to build a collaborative platform combining government, industry, academia, research, and application for key technology R&D, achievement incubation, and industrial empowerment in the radio field.
The ITU, which receives these applications, is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies, responsible for the global allocation and management of radio spectrum and satellite orbital resources.
According to ITU regulations, newly submitted satellite applications must launch their first satellite within 7 years, and complete the deployment of 10%, 50%, and 100% of the total declared number by the 9th, 12th, and 14th years respectively, with full deployment achieved within 7 years. If a constellation project fails to launch sufficient satellites according to these milestones or within the total 14-year timeframe, its spectrum rights will be proportionally reduced based on the actual number launched by that time.
This mandatory fulfillment mechanism makes satellite manufacturing and launching the most certain and urgent segment of the industry in the coming years.
Elon Musk has made a major move. On January 9, U.S. Eastern Time, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission announced its approval of SpaceX's application to deploy an additional 7,500 second-generation (Gen2) Starlink satellites.
This decision signifies further support from U.S. regulators for SpaceX's expansion in the global internet services sector.
The FCC stated that this approval allows SpaceX to operate an additional 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites, bringing its total globally authorized count for this generation to 15,000 satellites.
Beyond the numerical expansion, the Commission also approved technical upgrades for the satellites, permitting operations across five frequency bands.
Notably, the FCC waived previous regulations that limited signal coverage overlap and constrained network capacity enhancement, thereby clearing regulatory hurdles for SpaceX to improve its service quality.
The FCC indicated that the newly added satellites will hold critical strategic importance, providing Direct-to-cell satellite services to regions outside the U.S. and strengthening network coverage capabilities within the United States. These technical upgrades will not only support next-generation mobile communication services but will also significantly enhance network performance, potentially achieving internet speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second (1 Gbps).
FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr spoke highly of the approval, stating, "This FCC authorization is a game-changer for next-generation services. By authorizing 15,000 new, advanced satellites, the FCC has greenlighted SpaceX to deliver unprecedented satellite broadband capabilities, enhance competition, and help ensure no community is left behind."
The space race is becoming increasingly fierce. Due to the scarcity of satellite spectrum and orbital resources, which are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and come with phased deployment requirements, competition for global space resources is accelerating further.
According to ITU statistics, low Earth orbit can theoretically accommodate approximately 60,000 satellites in total. As of May 12, 2025, the number of operational low Earth orbit satellites globally was about 10,824, representing a utilization rate of approximately 18.0% of the available low Earth orbit resources. Because occupied frequency ranges cannot be used by other commercial satellite companies, countries worldwide are racing to deploy satellites in near-Earth orbits to secure these scarce orbital resources.
Data from a China Post Securities research report indicates that the United States currently leads in the number of on-orbit spacecraft, accounting for 75.94% of the global total, while China accounts for approximately 9.43% of the global number.
Currently, China's commercial aerospace constellation layout has also taken initial shape, forming three major ten-thousand-satellite-level constellation plans: China SatNet's (GW Constellation), Shanghai Yuanxin's (G60 Qianfan Constellation), and Landspace Hongqing Technology's (Honghu-3 Constellation). According to relevant ITU regulations and the respective application deadlines for each constellation, China SatNet must complete the deployment of 1,300 satellites by September 2029, the G60 Qianfan Constellation must deploy 1,500 satellites by August 2032, and the Honghu-3 Constellation must complete the deployment of 1,000 satellites by May 2033. Based on current launch volume projections, China's satellite launch missions are expected to enter a high-intensity phase in the coming years, with the number of satellites awaiting launch poised for explosive growth to fill the current progress gap.
Soochow Securities points out that looking ahead to 2026, the commercial aerospace industry will witness multiple catalysts, particularly the intensive maiden flights of multiple recoverable/high-capacity commercial rockets, which are expected to significantly enhance launch capacity, thereby addressing previous bottlenecks in satellite communication development. China's low Earth orbit satellite internet has entered the batch launch construction phase since the second half of 2025, and 2026 is expected to see even larger batch launches, further accelerating industrial development.
Oriental Securities also believes that with future policy support, accelerated technological iteration, and supply-side support from increased rocket production capacity, the number of rockets and launch frequency in China are expected to achieve leapfrog growth. As the development of multiple rocket models progresses and rocket production capacity gradually increases, bottlenecks on the rocket side are expected to be overcome more rapidly.
Comments