From space mining to tourism, China’s Guangdong blasts off in pursuit of Musk

South China’s Guangdong province has announced its ambition to join the country’s commercial space sector race, promising financial and policy support for companies wanting to build low-orbit satellite constellation systems and promote their application in futuristic industries including space mining and space tourism.

Guangdong plans to use government procurement to support key innovative products and application scenarios for satellite constellation systems, which also include telecommunications and logistics, according to a commercial space policy statement released by the provincial government on Tuesday.

“Companies will be supported in continuously scaling up the satellite application industry and in purchasing computing power services, while relevant local governments are encouraged to provide rewards in accordance with regulations,” it said.

As part of a three-year development plan, the provincial government will also push companies to expand overseas in the fields of satellite navigation and remote sensing.

Guangdong has pledged to provide a fast track for approving satellite constellation projects, promising specially designated government funding to help with rocket and satellite development, as it tries to play catch-up with peers such as Beijing and Shanghai.

Beijing pioneered the construction of the state-backed Guowang national network, and Shanghai is leading the efforts to build Qianfan, which means “a thousand sails”, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. But Guangdong, which boasts the country’s biggest provincial-level economy, has yet to produce a local champion in satellite constellation systems or the space economy in general.

China had been ramping up its efforts to build satellite constellation systems that could rival Elon Musk’s Starlink. Guangdong’s ambitious plan is the latest sign those efforts are accelerating, something also evidenced by an increase in rocket launches since late July.

South China Morning Post