Shanghai Spacesail Technologies Co Ltd operates the Qianfan mega-constellation, also known as SpaceSail.
As of December 2025, Qianfan aims to launch 324 satellites in 2026, 324 in 2027, 4,000 in 2028 and 2029, and 5,000 in 2030.
Qianfan has 15,000 total satellites approved to operate.
Each Qianfan satellite is believed to weigh 300 kilograms and use a flat-pack design with a single solar array.
Each Qianfan satellite uses an electric hall-effect thruster burning krypton that produces 20 millinewtons of thrust with a specific impulse of 1,385 seconds.
Shanghai Spacesail Technologies Co Ltd expects Qianfan to provide some form of service in China before the end of the year.
Spaceai’s Qianfan has 90 active satellites and 15,000 planned satellites.
China is deploying multiple mega-constellations, including Spaceai’s Qianfan and the state-backed Guowang/Xingwang network.
Spaceai’s Qianfan mega-constellation has 90 active satellites and 15,000 planned satellites.
Each Qianfan satellite uses an electric hall-effect thruster burning krypton to generate 20 millinewtons of thrust.
SpaceSail/Qianfan is one of the two major Chinese LEO communications satellite constellations open to the international public.
Each Qianfan satellite is believed to weigh 300 kilograms and use a flat-pack design with a single solar array.
The Qianfan mega-constellation is operated by Shanghai Spacesail Technologies Co Ltd.
The eighteen Qianfan satellites were produced by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The April 7 Long March 8 mission carried eighteen Qianfan satellites for the Polar Group 07 constellation.
Qianfan constellation had its first network deployment launch in 2026.
Problems in orbit have severely delayed deployment of SpaceSail/Qianfan satellites.
Each Qianfan satellite has a specific impulse of 1,385 seconds.
The April 7 launch increased the Qianfan constellation’s total spacecraft count to 126.
The Qianfan mega-constellation aims to provide space-based internet connectivity services in China and abroad, including Brazil, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, and airline customers.