- [Announcer] Three, two, one, zero.
Ignition.
(rocket booming)
- [Narrator] SpaceX is ramping up the pace
of rocket launches in order
to conquer the internet from space.
The company has launched more than 1,000 satellites
to build a network called Starlink aimed
at bringing faster connections
to billions of people.
Meanwhile, China has launched only a few test satellites.
(rocket booming)
But the country has sent
what it calls the world's first 6G satellite,
which it says would provide faster service
than what's available on Earth.
- Satellite internet is really seen
to be and extension of a lot
of the terrestrial internet services.
- [Narrator] The satellite internet market
is expected to be worth more than $400 billion by 2040.
- The world seems
to have an insatiable appetite for bandwidth.
- [Narrator] And this competition is taking place
in an area known as Low Earth Orbit.
- It's first come, first serve.
So they are racing to occupy those orbital slots
because the ones that get there first
with the capability of presence
is going to be able to set the rules.
- [Narrator] And that comes with privacy
and security concerns.
Still, SpaceX is moving ahead with the larger fleet
of satellites, while the relative newcomer China
is betting on faster speeds
to build a powerful internet network in space.
(dramatic music)
Satellite-based internet is actually not new.
Since the mid-1990s,
people who lived in remote areas
and don't have access to cell towers
have relied on satellites.
These satellites are in orbit about 22,000 miles away
from Earth, and a result of that distance is slow speed.
Because China's satellites and the Starlink network
are closer to Earth,
that means they can provide much faster services.
SpaceX is currently promising its beta test customers
in the US speeds between 50 and 150 megabits per second.
That's still below the country's average broadband service
on the ground.
China has not rolled out its service yet
or demonstrated how its satellite works
but the university that developed the 6G satellite
says it could offer speeds
that can potentially reach at least terabyte per second.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Narrator] That means if you download a one-gigabyte movie
with Starlink's service,
it would take about 10 seconds.
But with the 6G speed that China promises,
you could download about 1,000 movies in just 1 second.
(speaking in foreign language)
- [Narrator] China says it's 6G plan
is an extension of its 5G network,
which has already been rolled out
in many Chinese cities.
This technological progression
is starting to help transform the country's economy.
(speaking in foreign language)
- If you have 6G, your ability to have automation
is going to improve exponentially.
We mean better manufacturing.
We mean better 3D printing.
We mean better self-driving cars.
- [Narrator] Namrata Goswami is an independent researcher
who's been studying global space policy
for more than 20 years.
And she says China's 6G satellite network
can make a big impact once it's up and running.
- Once you become the first country to do it,
you set the global standards,
you set the rules in terms of how this is going
to be regulated.
Those who are first there
will be able to standardize the procedures
of that particular market.
And then you also set the innovation cycle in technology.
- [Narrator] But SpaceX has an edge over China
in another way.
- [Announcer] And liftoff.
(rocket whooshing)
- SpaceX has a big advantage
of having been the first mover.
- [Narrator] Therese Jones is a senior policy director
at the Satellite Industry Association.
And she's been studying satellite communication
of seven years.
The Washington, D.C. based group represents
over 50 satellite companies in the US, including SpaceX.
- The number is absolutely
a comparative advantage right now.
It takes a long time to ramp up the capabilities
to even get 1,500 satellites on orbit.
And just ramp up your satellite manufacturing capabilities
to reach that point.
- [Narrator] That's because SpaceX runs its own supply chain
to produce the satellites
and handles everything else
from launching to operating them.
It's taken the company three years
to plot a constellation of more than 1,000 satellites,
planning to eventually deploy a total of 12,000.
- SpaceX has the goal of providing ubiquitous connectivity
across the globe,
whether that is providing internet to rural areas,
whether it's providing internet to ships, to planes.
- [Narrator] And that global plan
could help more than three billion people in the world
who don't have regular access to the internet.
- So the hardest-to-server customers.
- [Narrator] After an installation cost
of about $600, the monthly fee
to use Starlink's satellites would be about $100.
SpaceX says it's already received 500,000 pre-orders
for its service.
And the company's plans for expansion
could get a boost from the US government
as it recently won preliminary rights
to nearly $900 million in subsidies.
- [Announcer] Six, five.
- [Narrator] But SpaceX's bids for funds
and it prolific launches
have started to draw criticism from rivals
in the US and Europe
who say Starlink's satellites are crowding orbit
and endangering other satellites.
So some are asking regulators
to clamp down on the SpaceX project.
The company didn't respond to a request for comment.
China could also face similar pushback
from rivals since it also plans
to launch more than 10,000 satellites
but this mega plan has one strong ally.
(people clapping)
- The one advantage that the country has
is that it has one party.
So the support is very much consistent.
It's very clear, China's goal
under President Xi has been to become a leader in innovation
and technology and especially communications technology.
- [Narrator] But big networks of satellites also generate
a lot of personal data.
- There are these concerns
that your data can be turned over,
it could be used for espionage, intelligence operations.
It could be used to have economic advantage
because you can also spy into their economic system.
- [Narrator] For example, US officials
have long said Beijing
could direct Chinese telecom companies like Huawei,
which have set up 5G networks abroad
to spy or sabotage.
Huawei and the Chinese government
have rejected the charges
but Goswami says China's 6G network
could open up similar concerns.
- Chinese law makes it mandatory
for any company or citizen to collaborate
with Chinese intelligence
in case such a request is made.
- [Narrator] But in the US,
the legal system could provide a level of protection.
- SpaceX cannot turn over data
just because US intelligence will want it.
You will have to go to court to get permission.
- [Narrator] SpaceX didn't respond to a request for comment.
While China's Foreign Ministry said
that Chinese law protects data security
and personal information of citizens and organizations.
(rocket booming)
For now, SpaceX is moving ahead
by seeking permission for another 30,000 satellites
but China's network could have one more advantage
when it's ready.
- [Namrata] China can always make it mandatory
for its citizen to have that kind of service
in its devices.
- [Narrator] Making the world's
most populated country a place
to continue testing the service
and honing the technology.
(lively music)