🇨🇳 Qianfan (Thousand Sails)
Qianfan (千帆, "Thousand Sails"), also known as G60 Starlink or Spacesail, is China's flagship low-Earth-orbit broadband megaconstellation — operated by Shanghai-backed SSST and racing toward a planned 15,000 satellites, with 238 satellites already in polar orbit. OrbitalNodes tracks every Qianfan satellite in real time, with the live count updated from tracking data.
As of 23 August 2026, around 238 Qianfan satellites (Thousand Sails, China’s Starlink rival) are in orbit, scaling toward a long-term target of 15,000 by 2030. OrbitalNodes shows which are overhead your location, live.
OrbitalNodes' constellation counter shows how many Qianfan satellites are above your horizon right now and how many are in good viewing position. The early batches are notably bright — bright enough that astronomers have raised the alarm — so freshly launched Qianfan satellites can be visible to the naked eye during twilight.
LIVE QIANFAN CONSTELLATION — 千帆 "THOUSAND SAILS" · -- TRACKED · TRAINS DETECTED WHEN ACTIVE
Why is this often empty? Operational Qianfan sats sit high (1,160 km) and faint, so genuine naked-eye passes are uncommon and this panel stays quiet most nights. The dependable spectacle is a fresh train — and passes here will fill in as the constellation grows toward thousands of satellites.
● Steady dot, no blinking
● Best in twilight, soon after launch
● Polar pass — moves roughly N–S
● Fades as it raises to final orbit
Brighter than the
naked-eye limit
Leaves streaks in astronomy images
⛵ QIANFAN (G60)
- 15,000 satellites planned
- 800 km altitude
- Polar orbit, 32×36 planes
- First launch August 2024
- SSST / Spacesail (Shanghai)
- Long March 6A / 8 / 12B
- China's Starlink rival
- Bright — exceeds IAU limit
★ SPACEX STARLINK
- 10,000+ operational
- 540–570 km altitude
- 53°, 70°, 97° inclinations
- Operational since 2020
- SpaceX (United States)
- Falcon 9 reusable
- Consumer broadband globally
- Darkened to reduce glare
The Qianfan story
Qianfan — "Thousand Sails", also catalogued as G60 Starlink or Spacesail — is China's most commercially advanced answer to SpaceX's Starlink. It grew out of a Shanghai municipal plan announced in late 2023 to build a domestic space-information industry, with the satellites and operating company, Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), based in the city's Songjiang district. The venture raised 6.7 billion yuan (about $943 million) and built its first flat-panel satellite in December 2023.
Deployment began on 6 August 2024, when a Long March 6A lofted the first 18 flat-panel satellites into polar orbit from Taiyuan — China's first batch launch of stackable flat-panel broadband satellites. The debut was overshadowed by two problems that have followed the program: the rocket's upper stage broke apart in orbit, scattering roughly 700 trackable debris fragments, and astronomers quickly flagged that the satellites were unusually bright, exceeding the International Astronomical Union's recommended brightness limit and threatening to leave streaks across research images.
Launches have continued in batches through 2025 and 2026 on the Long March 6A, 8 and the new reusable-class Long March 12B, bringing the deployed total to 238 satellites — the live count above updates from tracking data. The plan is steep: a first phase of 1,296 satellites, regional service from 648, and an eventual fleet of up to 15,000 by 2030, with direct-to-mobile service in the long term. SSST has signed its first commercial agreement with Brazil's TELEBRAS and says it is in talks with more than 30 countries — making Qianfan as much a geopolitical project as a commercial one.
- Nov 2023Shanghai announces the plan; the program is dubbed G60 Starlink, operated by SSST.
- Dec 2023First flat-panel satellite assembled; $943M (6.7B yuan) raised.
- 6 Aug 2024First 18 satellites launched to polar orbit on a Long March 6A from Taiyuan.
- 2024Upper-stage breakup creates 700 debris fragments; astronomers raise brightness concerns.
- 2025Batch launches continue on Long March 6A and 8; first commercial MoU signed with Brazil's TELEBRAS.
- 2026Long March 12B debuts on Qianfan duty; batch deployment continues at pace.
- 2027Target: global service from a constellation of around 1,296 first-phase satellites.
- 2030Long-term goal of up to 15,000 satellites with direct-to-mobile service.
QIANFAN vs STARLINK — AND WHY IT'S EASIER TO SPOT
Qianfan — "Thousand Sails," also known as the G60 or Spacesail constellation — is China's answer to Starlink, run out of Shanghai with an eventual plan reaching into the many thousands of satellites; the first phase alone targets well over a thousand. Unlike Starlink's shells near 550 km, Qianfan flies higher, around 800 km, in near-polar orbits. The live status panel above shows how many are currently on orbit.
Here's what makes Qianfan stand out to skywatchers: it's bright. Independent measurements of the early satellites put them around magnitude 4–5 — within naked-eye range — bright enough that astronomers have publicly raised concerns about their effect on dark skies. The higher 800 km orbit also keeps them sunlit later into the night than lower constellations, so the window in which you can catch one is wider.
Look for a steady moving light, no flashing, crossing the sky over a few minutes. Because Qianfan satellites are both brighter and higher than most megaconstellation hardware, they're among the easier ones to pick out by eye. The first batch flew in August 2024 on a Long March 6A from Taiyuan, and batches of roughly 18 have continued since — the live counter reflects the current total.
QIANFAN FAQ
What is Qianfan / Thousand Sails?
Qianfan (千帆, "Thousand Sails"), also known as G60 Starlink or Spacesail, is China's flagship low-Earth-orbit broadband megaconstellation. It is operated by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), backed by the Shanghai municipal government, and plans up to 15,000 satellites in polar orbit — positioned as a domestic rival to SpaceX's Starlink and a tool of digital connectivity and influence abroad.
How many Qianfan satellites are in orbit?
Around 200 have been launched as of mid-2026, deployed in batches of roughly 18 since the first launch in August 2024. The first phase targets 1,296 satellites with regional service from 648, building toward a long-term goal of up to 15,000 by 2030. OrbitalNodes' live counter shows exactly how many are above your horizon right now.
Can you see Qianfan satellites with the naked eye?
Yes — freshly launched Qianfan batches are notably bright, around magnitude 4 to 6, brighter than the IAU's recommended limit. They're visible to the naked eye during twilight soon after launch, appearing as a steady moving point of light (or a short train before they spread out), then fade as they climb to their operational orbits. OrbitalNodes shows which are above your horizon and in good viewing position.
Who operates Qianfan?
Qianfan is operated by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), also called Spacesail or Yuanxin Satellite — a commercial company backed by the Shanghai municipal government and supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The project raised 6.7 billion yuan (about $943 million) and is widely considered China's most commercially advanced LEO constellation.
How does Qianfan compare to Starlink?
Starlink has a huge lead — more than 10,000 operational satellites at 550km — while Qianfan has 238 of a planned 15,000, flying higher in near-polar orbit at roughly 800km. Qianfan launches batches of about 18 on expendable Long March rockets, versus Starlink's larger batches on reusable Falcon 9. Qianfan's early satellites are also markedly brighter, raising astronomy concerns that SpaceX has spent years trying to mitigate with darkening treatments.
Why are astronomers concerned about Qianfan?
The first Qianfan satellites are bright enough to exceed the International Astronomical Union's recommended brightness limit, leaving streaks in astronomical images that software can't fully remove, and they're visible to the unaided eye. Separately, a Long March 6A upper stage from an early launch broke apart in orbit, scattering roughly 700 trackable debris fragments — adding to growing worries about congestion in low Earth orbit.
How does OrbitalNodes track Qianfan satellites?
OrbitalNodes fetches live TLE orbital data for Qianfan from public catalogues and propagates each satellite's position using the SGP4 algorithm — the same technique used by space agencies worldwide. The constellation counter on this page shows how many Qianfan satellites are above your local horizon right now, updating as new orbital elements are published after each launch.
Qianfan's brightness is part of a wider fight over who gets to change the night sky. Mega-constellations, mirrors and astronomy — OrbitalSolar.ai →