Artist’s impression of the Qianfan satellite mega-constellation
surveillance camera
China has begun construction on a giant constellation that will eventually consist of about 14,000 satellites, but the launch of the first 18 has already raised concerns from astronomers about their impact on the night sky. are.
The Qianfan mega-constellation is aimed at transmitting the internet to the ground and will rival the likes of SpaceX’s Starlink constellation, which already boasts more than 6,000 satellites and has doubled the number of satellites operating in space. .
SpaceX first…
