Qianfan (Spacesail)

Qianfan Constellation

In Development

China's first commercial LEO mega-constellation in formal network deployment. The system is being built in phases: a 324-satellite initial network for regional coverage, a 1,296-satellite Phase 1, and a long-term total of more than 15,000 satellites for global coverage by 2030. Two July 2026 Long March batches lifted the network to 238; on September 15-16, 2026 LandSpace's Zhuque-2E and Orienspace's Gravity-1 flew the first private-launcher networking missions (10 and 8 satellites) and took the count to 256. Primary deployments still mix 18-to-20-satellite Long March batches with smaller commercial-rocket groups.

Qianfan (Spacesail) profileSource: globaltimes.cn

Latest update Sep 20, 2026

Qianfan Constellation

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Current status

256 satellites are in orbit as of September 20, 2026 after Zhuque-2E Y7 (10 satellites on September 15, to 248) and Gravity-1 Y3 (8 satellites on September 16), with no later batch reported. The near-term objective is a 324-satellite initial network for regional broadband coverage - a target that has slipped from July 2026 into H2 2026 - followed by a published 648-satellite checkpoint by end of 2026, building toward a 1,296-satellite Phase 1.

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Specifications5

Satellites in Orbit
256
Initial Network Target
324 satellites

(regional coverage); slipped from Jul 2026 to H2 2026

Phase 1 Network
1,296 satellites
Planned Total
15,000+ satellites
Latest Batches
10 on Zhuque-2E Y7

(Sept 15) then 8 on Gravity-1 Y3 (Sept 16)

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