The previous Qianfan group was numbered ‘18’, representing a significant jump from prior deployment order numbers ‘01’, ‘02’, ‘03’, ‘06’, and ‘05’.
Genesat shared an update on March 2nd that a batch of Qianfan satellites designated Polar Group 08 underwent a factory departure review meeting at the end of February.
Shanghai Spacesail Technologies has received approval from Brazil to begin commercial operations of Qianfan connectivity services to consumers.
LandSpace tested a satellite deployment mechanism for Qianfan-like spacecraft recently.
Genesat is a contracted manufacturer for the Qianfan connectivity mega-constellation.
Shanghai Spacesail Technologies has indicated plans to deploy Qianfan satellites in groups of 18, 36, and 54 from launch vehicles.
In August of last year, Space Pioneer and LandSpace were contracted by Shanghai Spacesail Technologies to prove capability to launch at least one Qianfan satellite group by the end of March.
Shanghai Spacesail Technologies plans to deploy 324 spacecraft in 2026 to quadruple the size of the Qianfan constellation and improve worldwide services.
Deployments of Qianfan spacecraft in 2026 are contracted to launch on providers including LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 and Space Pioneer’s Tianlong-3 and on state-owned launch solutions.
Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) authorized the Qianfan connectivity mega-constellation to operate in Brazil following an agreement signed in November 2024.
As of February 2026, the Qianfan constellation had 108 satellites in orbit.
Qianfan signed agreements in Malaysia, Kazakhstan, and Türkiye during 2025.
Five Qianfan satellites were launched between August 2024 and October 2025.
Qianfan services will be available to customers in Brazil until July 2031, after which reapproval from Anatel will be required if not already ensured.
Shanghai Spacesail Technologies Co Ltd operates the Qianfan mega-constellation.
Shanghai Spacesail Technologies Co Ltd (上海垣信卫星科技有限公司) operates the 108-satellite Qianfan connectivity constellation.
A batch of Qianfan satellites may be onboard Tianlong-3’s first launch in the coming weeks.
This year, the Qianfan constellation aims to deploy 324 satellites and possibly grow to 432 satellites in orbit by the end of the year.
Qianfan reached an agreement with Airbus in December 2025 to become a key managed service provider for Airbus’s High Bandwidth Connectivity Plus program.
Qianfan is revising its goal downwards to launch 216 satellites in 2026, resulting in a total of 324 satellites.