Technology & Science
China Stakes Claim for 200,000-Satellite CTC Megaconstellations in ITU Filings
Between 25–31 Dec 2025, Chinese entities lodged two ITU filings—CTC-1 and CTC-2—each covering 96,714 low-Earth-orbit satellites, dwarfing existing plans and locking in priority dates for future networks.
Focusing Facts
- CTC-1 advanced to an ITU coordination request and API stage for 96,714 satellites in 3,660 orbital planes; CTC-2, also 96,714 satellites, remains API-only.
- Filings were submitted by the new Institute of Radio Spectrum Utilization and Technological Innovation, not the current Guowang or Qianfan operators.
- China’s commercial launcher Landspace separately won a 2025 contract to loft 18 Guowang satellites with its reusable Zhuque-3, highlighting the parallel build-out of launch capacity.
Context
This move echoes the early 1900s ‘Great Battleship Craze,’ when nations pre-emptively ordered dreadnoughts to secure naval tonnage quotas long before they could float them. Similarly, in the late-1990s Iridium (66 satellites) and Teledesic (planned 840) raced for spectrum, yet only Iridium launched and later went bankrupt—underscoring that filing size rarely equals deployment reality. On a systems level, the filings signal mounting competition for the finite electromagnetic commons: orbital shells and Ku/Ka-band slots risk becoming a first-come land-grab regulated mainly by paperwork milestones rather than physical capability. Over a 100-year horizon, who controls near-Earth infrastructure may wield leverage akin to today’s undersea cables and GPS; alternatively, congestion or Kessler-syndrome externalities could force a rethink of laissez-faire orbital governance. Whether China actually fields six-figure fleets or merely secures bargaining chips, the filings mark a strategic inflection in the commodification—and potential overcrowding—of low Earth orbit.
Perspectives
Western space industry media
e.g., SpaceNews — Report that Beijing’s 200,000-satellite filings are an aggressive bid to lock up scarce spectrum and orbits as part of a next-generation megaconstellation race with Starlink and Amazon. Focus on the competitive threat to U.S. operators and orbital crowding, reflecting a Western industry lens that may magnify strategic rivalry more than domestic motives.
Chinese state-owned media
e.g., China Daily, China News — Present the filings as evidence of China’s capability and determination while stressing that the ITU process is routine, lengthy and fully compliant with international rules. National-booster framing downplays congestion worries and portrays China as a responsible actor catching up to U.S. dominance.
Technology commentary sites
e.g., Wonderful Engineering — Highlight the apparent contradiction of China warning that Starlink threatens orbital safety while simultaneously seeking to deploy an even larger constellation. Sensational framing underscores perceived hypocrisy and geopolitical drama, possibly overstating collision risks to attract readership.