China files to launch 200,000 satellites into space in what experts are calling orbital land grab

The application was submitted by a new state-backed institute, aiming to secure rare orbital slots and spectrum.

China has submitted regulatory filings to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for a massive satellite constellation totaling approximately 200,000 spacecraft. The move, executed in late December 2025 and publicized this week, signals China’s intent to secure vast swaths of low-Earth orbit (LEO) "real estate" before it is claimed by Western commercial giants like SpaceX.

The filings were submitted by a newly registered entity called the Institute of Radio Spectrum Utilization and Technological Innovation, based in the Xiong’an New Area.

The 200,000-satellite ambition

To put this in perspective, the 200,000 figure is roughly four times larger than SpaceX’s long-term goal of 50,000 Starlink satellites and more than ten times the number of active satellites currently in orbit.

The applications cover a wide range of altitudes, primarily between 300 km and 600 km (the same "sweet spot" occupied by Starlink), with some nodes as high as 20,000 km.

Under ITU rules, China now has a seven-year window to launch its first satellite and 14 years to complete the rollout to retain its rights to these specific radio frequencies and orbital slots.

What are they for?

According to the ITU filings and statements from the involved Chinese research bodies, the satellites are designed for three primary functions:

• Global broadband connectivity: The network aims to provide high-speed internet to remote and underserved regions, bridging the "digital divide" within China and along its "Digital Silk Road" partners.

• National data security & sovereignty: By building its own "national network" (Guowang), China aims to ensure it is not reliant on Western-controlled satellite infrastructure for its critical digital communications.

• Space security & supervision: Research partners, including the Nanjing University of Aeronautics, stated the network will support "low-altitude airspace safety supervision" and "integrated security defense systems," suggesting a role in monitoring and protecting China’s interests in the increasingly crowded LEO environment.

Strategic 'turf' wars

Industry analysts, however, emphasize that these filings are as much about regulatory strategy as they are about actual hardware.

By filing for such a massive number of slots, China is effectively "reserving" spectrum and orbital paths, making it more difficult and expensive for competitors to find interference-free gaps for their own future networks.

Moreover, the involvement of the National Radio Monitoring Center suggests this is a high-level move to influence international satellite communications governance and shape the future "rules of the road" in space.

While China’s current launch cadence is far below the level needed to deploy 200,000 satellites, the filing establishes a legal and strategic foundation for a "Shadow Starlink" that could fundamentally alter the balance of power in the sky by the 2030s.