China Stakes Massive Claim in Orbit with Filings for 203,000 Satellites, Dwarfing SpaceX’s Starlink Ambitions

In a move that signals a dramatic escalation in the global race for space dominance, China initiated a massive regulatory process in late December 2025. By submitting a comprehensive package of applications to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Beijing has laid the groundwork for a satellite mega-constellation that could theoretically include approximately 203,000 individual spacecraft by the mid-2030s. This staggering figure represents a scale of ambition that far exceeds the current operational and planned capacity of SpaceX’s Starlink network, which has led the industry for years.

The bulk of these filings, specifically accounting for 193,428 satellites, was submitted by the newly established Radio Spectrum Utilization and Technological Innovation Institute (RSDTII). Interestingly, this entity was officially registered in Hebei Province on December 30, 2025—just twenty-four hours after the initial documents were sent to the ITU. The applications, designated as CTC-1 and CTC-2, each propose the deployment of 96,714 satellites across 3,660 distinct orbital planes. Industry analysts suggest this regulatory maneuver is less about an immediate launch schedule and more about a calculated strategic effort to establish administrative and technical barriers for SpaceX, the current market leader.

This regulatory maneuvering is taking place against a backdrop of intensifying competition for finite orbital resources and radio frequency spectrum. Under international guidelines, priority is frequently granted to the first entity to file a claim, making early registration a critical component of space-based infrastructure. Beijing has previously voiced significant concerns regarding the overcrowding of Low Earth Orbit (LEO), pointing to the rapid expansion of the Starlink constellation as a primary cause of orbital congestion.

By mid-February 2026, SpaceX had already surpassed the milestone of 10,000 active satellites, maintaining a clear operational lead over competitors. In comparison, Amazon’s Project Kuiper (Amazon Leo) had just over 200 units in orbit at that time. This disparity highlights the urgency of China's filings, as the nation seeks to secure its place in a crowded environment where physical space and signal frequencies are becoming increasingly scarce commodities.

Legal and technical experts note that these "paper satellites" serve a dual purpose beyond mere registration. By reserving these slots, China forces Western engineers to design their hardware to account for potential interference or "noise" from these theoretical Chinese networks. Such requirements could significantly complicate the development of American satellite systems and potentially degrade their operational performance. While experts agree that China’s current launch capabilities are not yet sufficient to deploy 203,000 satellites in the near term, the filings confirm a strategic intent to dominate the regulatory landscape.

Simultaneously, China is advancing other major projects to bolster its presence in the stars. These include the state-led "Guowang" initiative and the Shanghai-backed "Qianfan" constellation, both of which aim to deploy more than 10,000 satellites each. This multi-pronged approach underscores a long-term national strategy to secure a dominant position within the burgeoning space economy. While the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted SpaceX permission to launch an additional 7,500 second-generation satellites by 2031, the CTC-1 and CTC-2 filings are clearly aimed at reserving resources for the next generation of orbital infrastructure, turning the ITU into a high-stakes arena for geopolitical confrontation.