China Files for 200,000+ Satellites While SpaceX Gets Major FCC Approval: The Space Race Just Went Nuclear

• Total Chinese Satellites Filed (Dec 2025): >200,000
• Total Approved SpaceX Gen2 Satellites: 15,000
• Current LEO Utilization Rate: 18.0%
• Key Constraint: Rocket Launch Capacity

The global space race isn’t just heating up—it’s entering hyperdrive.

While you were scrolling through your phone, two massive moves just reshaped the satellite internet landscape.

In December 2025, China submitted applications to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for over 200,000 satellites.

On the same timeline, Elon Musk’s SpaceX got the green light from U.S. regulators to deploy an additional 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites.

The stakes? Control over the electromagnetic spectrum and orbital real estate—resources that are finite, valuable, and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Let’s break down what’s actually happening and why it matters.

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China’s Satellite Megaplay: 200,000+ Satellites Filed With the ITU

According to data from the ITU website, China dropped a bomb in late December 2025 with satellite constellation applications totaling over 200,000 satellites across 14 different constellations.

Here’s where it gets interesting.

More than 190,000 of these satellites belong to a single entity: the Institute of Radio Spectrum Development Utilization and Technological Innovation (Wuxiandian Pinpu Kaifa Liyong He Jishu Chuangxin Yanjiuyuan 无线电频谱开发利用和技术创新研究院), commonly referred to as the Radio Innovation Institute.

This institute, which was literally registered on December 30, 2025, in Xiong’an New Area (Xiong’an Xinqu 雄安新区), submitted two massive constellations:

• CTC-1 constellation: 96,714 satellites
• CTC-2 constellation: 96,714 satellites

That’s over 193,000 satellites from one institute that didn’t even exist 24 hours before filing.

The Radio Innovation Institute is a joint venture between seven major organizations:

• State Radio Monitoring Center
• Xiong’an New Area Administrative Committee
• Hebei Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology
• China Satellite Network Group (Zhongguo Weixing Wangluo Jituan Youxian Gongsi 中国卫星网络集团有限公司)
• Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Beijing Jiaotong University
• China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (Zhongguo Dianzi Keji Jituan Youxian Gongsi 中国电子科技集团有限公司)

Beyond the Radio Innovation Institute, China’s broader satellite internet ecosystem is also making moves.

Other entities applying for spectrum and orbit allocations include:

• China Satellite Network Group (Zhongguo Xingwang 中国星网)
• Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (Shanghai Yuanxin 上海垣信)
• China Mobile (Zhongguo Yidong 中国移动)
• China Telecom (Zhongguo Dianxin 中国电信)
• Guodian Gaoke (Guodian Gaoke 国电高科)
• Aerospace Yuxing (Hangtian Yuxing 航天驭星)
• GalaxySpace (Yinhe Hangtian 银河航天)

In other words, China just mobilized its entire satellite internet ecosystem in one coordinated push.

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Why This Matters: The ITU’s 14-Year Deployment Requirement

Here’s the crucial detail that makes all this real: the ITU doesn’t let you just reserve satellites forever.

Under ITU regulations, any newly submitted satellite application must meet strict deployment milestones:

• Year 1-7: Launch the first satellite
• Year 9: Complete 10% deployment
• Year 12: Complete 50% deployment
• Year 14: Complete 100% deployment

If a project fails to hit these milestones, spectrum rights get reduced proportionally.

This means satellite manufacturing and launching become the most urgent business segments for the next 14 years.

You can’t just file and sit on it—you have to actually build and launch hardware to keep your spectrum allocation.

This regulatory framework is why these filings translate directly into near-term manufacturing and launch demand.

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SpaceX Gets FCC Blessing to Deploy 7,500 More Starlink Gen2 Satellites

On January 9, 2026, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved SpaceX’s application to deploy an additional 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites.

Here’s what this authorization actually means:

• Total Gen2 satellites approved: 15,000 (8,000 already deployed + 7,500 newly approved)
• Frequency band expansion: Approved operation across five frequency bands
• Regulatory waivers: FCC lifted previous restrictions on satellite signal overlap and network capacity limits
• Speed potential: Up to 1 gigabit per second (1 Gbps) internet speeds
• Service scope: Enhanced direct-to-cell services outside the United States + strengthened domestic coverage

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr didn’t hold back in his commentary:

“This FCC authorization is a game-changer for realizing next-generation services. By authorizing 15,000 new advanced satellites, the FCC has given SpaceX the green light to provide unprecedented satellite broadband capabilities, enhance competition, and help ensure no community is left behind.”

Translation: The U.S. government just cleared regulatory hurdles for SpaceX to expand aggressively into satellite internet infrastructure.

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The Finite Resource Problem: Why This Space Race Matters

So why are China and SpaceX throwing down this hard right now?

Because Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite spectrum and slots are limited.

According to ITU data, LEO can theoretically accommodate approximately 60,000 satellites.

As of May 12, 2025, there were approximately 10,824 LEO satellites already in orbit globally, representing an 18.0% utilization rate.

That sounds like plenty of room, but here’s the catch: once a company or country occupies a particular frequency range and orbital slot, no one else can use it.

Under the ITU’s “first-come, first-served” allocation principle, countries are racing to file and deploy satellites before competitors claim the best orbital real estate and frequency bands.

Here’s the current breakdown of spacecraft in orbit globally, according to China Post Securities (Zhongyou Zhengquan 中邮证券):

• United States: 75.94% of all spacecraft in orbit
• China: 9.43% of all spacecraft in orbit
• Other nations: Remainder

The gap is massive.

But China’s aggressively closing it.

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China’s Three Major 10,000-Satellite Constellations

China has already laid out three major satellite internet constellations, each targeting 10,000+ satellites:

• China Satellite Network (GW constellation):
  
  Must deploy 1,300 satellites by September 2029
• Shanghai Spacecom (G60 Thousand Sails constellation):
  
  Must deploy 1,500 satellites by August 2032
• Landspace Hongqing Technology (Honghu-3 constellation):
  
  Must deploy 1,000 satellites by May 2033

The 200,000+ satellites China just filed for would dwarf these existing plans.

According to analysis from Soochow Securities (Dongwu Zhengquan 东吴证券), China’s LEO satellite internet entered a mass-launch construction phase in the second half of 2025 and is expected to accelerate significantly in 2026.

The bottleneck?

Rocket capacity.

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The Rocket Bottleneck Is About to Break

Filing for 200,000+ satellites is one thing.

Actually launching them is another.

For years, the satellite internet industry has been constrained by limited rocket launch capacity.

But Soochow Securities points out that 2026 will see the frequent delivery of multiple recyclable and heavy-lift commercial rockets, significantly increasing available launch capacity.

Orient Securities (Dongfang Zhengquan 东方证券) echoes this optimism, noting that with:

• Continuous policy support from the government
• Accelerated technology iterations across the industry
• Released rocket production capacity from the supply side

China’s number of rockets and launches is expected to see a leap in growth as various rocket models enter development and deployment phases.

In plain English: The infrastructure constraints that have held back satellite launches are finally being resolved.

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What This Means for Investors and Builders

This isn’t just regulatory filing noise.

Here are the real implications:

• Manufacturing explosion:
  
  With ITU deployment requirements, China and SpaceX need to manufacture and launch thousands of satellites over the next few years. This creates immediate demand for satellite components, manufacturing capacity, and launch services.
• Spectrum warfare:
  
  The race to occupy orbital slots and frequency bands is accelerating. Whoever deploys first gets priority access to the best resources.
• Rocket capacity premium:
  
  Until rocket launch capacity fully scales, getting launch slots becomes increasingly competitive. Companies with secured launch contracts have an advantage.
• Global competition intensifies:
  
  The U.S. is backing SpaceX with regulatory green lights and advanced approvals. China is mobilizing its entire satellite ecosystem with coordinated filings. Other countries and companies will likely follow.
• Next-generation internet infrastructure:
  
  These satellite constellations represent foundational internet infrastructure for the next decade. Whoever controls significant orbital real estate has massive leverage over future connectivity, data services, and communications.

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The Bottom Line: The Satellite Internet Race Is Real

Two months into 2026, we’re seeing the satellite internet industry shift from experimental phase into a coordinated, high-stakes competition for finite orbital resources.

China filed for 200,000+ satellites in a single coordinated push across multiple organizations.

SpaceX got approval to deploy 7,500 more advanced Gen2 satellites, bringing its total authorized second-generation constellation to 15,000.

Both moves are driven by the same underlying reality: orbital spectrum and slots are limited, allocation is first-come-first-served, and deployment timelines are mandated by international regulation.

The next 14 years will determine who dominates global satellite internet infrastructure.

The space race for satellite internet isn’t coming—it’s already here.

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References

• Global “Star Striving”! China Submits Applications for Over 200,000 Satellites – Securities Times (Quanshang Zhongguo)
• Starlink Mission Updates – SpaceX
• FCC Authorizes SpaceX to Deploy Next-Generation Starlink Gen2 Satellites – Federal Communications Commission
• Satellite Network Filings and Procedures – International Telecommunication Union