Beijing, February 22: Elon Musk's Starlink company, a subsidiary of SpaceX, has been praised for offering connectivity in remote areas using a satellite internet connection. However, it now faces stiff competition from China's SpaceSail, Jeff Bezos's Project Kuiper and Canada's Telesat. Elon Musk's SpaceX also competing against Bezos's Blue Origin and his Tesla by China's BYD Auto.

China's SpaceSail has been designed by the Microsatellite Innovation Centre of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and plans to reach the global market to overthrow Musk's Starlink. The reports said that the company made a deal with Brazil in November and is already in conversation with 30 more countries. The China-based satellite internet service provider also started operating in Kazakhstan. ‘AI Will Improve Everything’: Elon Musk Reacts to Satya Nadella’s Post on Artificial Intelligence Being Used for Agriculture for Data Analysis.

On the other hand, Brazil is already in conversation with rivals, including Project Kuiper and Telesat, to arrive in the country amid Elon Musk's involvement in politics and commercial issues. China is also already making efforts to reportedly reduce the dominance of Elon Musk's Starlink after learning about the company's role in Ukraine's military communications.

Despite rivals' efforts, Elon Musk's Starlink has around 7,500 LOE satellites, covering 60% of the satellite internet market. However,  rivals are slowly catching up to the company and trying to capture the maximum market. By 2030, Starlink aims to expand its low-earth orbit satellites by 42,000. 

On the other hand, China's SpaceSail aims to launch 15,000 LOEs by 2030 and will start by sending 648 satellites this year, according to a report by FirstPost. In the coming decade, China aims to have 43,000 satellites in orbit. Besides Project Kuiper, Telesat, and SpaceSail, another Chinese player, Hongqing Technology, is planning to enter the market with 10,000 satellite constellations. Elon Musk Confirms SpaceX Starship Flight 8 on February 28, Expected To Fly With Ship 34 and Booster 15.

The report mentioned that space tech expert Chaitanya Giri from India's Observer Research Foundation said the ultimate race was to occupy the maximum orbital slots.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 24, 2025 02:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).