Automaker Geely Launched Its Own Satellites Into Space, Highlighting China’s Ambitions

Earlier this month, nan Chinese aerospace institution Geespace said it sent 11 satellites into orbit. The satellites went up successful Geespace’s 4th rocket motorboat since 2022, bringing its full “IoT constellation” from 30 to 41 satellites. By nan extremity of this year, it has ambitions to deploy 72 satellites, which will supply world information sum “excluding only nan polar regions,” according to a property release.

Like immoderate different outer firm, Geespace has relationships pinch respective telecommunications companies, dispersed retired complete much than 20 countries, to supply high-speed net and different connectivity services. Earlier this year, it signed caller agreements pinch Moroccan, Malaysian, and Saudi Arabian firms.

But Geespace is besides owned by nan genitor institution of Geely, nan second-best-selling carmaker successful China, which besides sells vehicles crossed 5 continents. Which intends nan rocket launch, and nan in-development low-Earth-orbit constellation, besides has a mobility bent. Geespace says nan satellites will supply support for precocious driver-assistance systems successful cars and commercialized vehicles, “significantly improving recreation information and convenience.” (The institution near unfastened nan anticipation of supporting different vehicles’ systems too.)

This makes Geely nan only world automaker pinch its ain dedicated outer net constellation and a nationalist scheme to merge that connectivity into its precocious driving tech. At a clip erstwhile astir global automakers are struggling done concurrent crises—a rocky modulation to electrical vehicles; confused and confusing approaches to software; questions astir nan early of autonomy; world economical upheaval and waste and acquisition reorientations; and nan emergence of Chinese car manufacturers—the Chinese automaker’s abstraction play demonstrates a veritable long-term, world strategy.

“Geely has nan reach, it has nan capital, and evidently it has nan capacity to put satellites into orbit,” says Tu Le, nan laminitis and managing head of Sino Auto Insights, a consultancy. The automaker is arguably nan astir world of China’s conveyance companies. In summation to its celebrated Geely Galaxy, Zeekr, and Lynk & Co brands, its genitor institution owns nan mostly of Volvo Cars and Lotus, astir half of EV institution Polestar, and 17 percent of Aston Martin. In 2018, Geely laminitis and chair Li Shufu bought a astir 10 percent liking successful Mercedes-Benz. Operating its ain infrastructure successful abstraction could thief support each those brands into nan future. “There is nary uncertainty that Geely has world ambitions,” says Le. “This conscionable reinforces nan mindset that Geely is going to beryllium a world player.”

Continuing to grow globally could beryllium existential not only for Geely, but nan wider Chinese car industry. The Chinese authorities has attempted to tamp down connected a now-years-long auto value war that has seen information aft information of fierce cuts arsenic nan state cranks retired tens of millions of vehicles annually. EV-maker BYD, which toppled Tesla this twelvemonth arsenic nan globe’s number 1 seller of new-energy vehicles, has travel nether typical scrutiny. Chinese authorities and manufacture officials person likened nan business to Chinese existent property developer Evergrande; nan firm’s 2021 illness plunged nan federation into economical turmoil. Healthier maturation mightiness dangle connected international exports, which surged by 300 percent betwixt 2021 and 2024 contempt US and European waste and acquisition barriers to Chinese cars.

Global Positioning

Satellite communications should person immoderate upside for precocious car tech—and group who bargain cars equipped pinch it. They tin springiness conveyance package highly precise, centimeter-level information connected wherever cars are connected nan road, arsenic good arsenic unchangeable (and redundant) connections, which let amended way readying and driving efficiency, Fanni Li, a main investigation expert focusing connected car exertion astatine S&P Global Mobility, writes successful an email. Right now, that benignant of information mightiness thief cars execute immoderate information functions by themselves: enactment successful lanes, debar circumstantial collisions. One day, though, outer communications could thief autonomous vehicles, those without drivers, support changeless connectivity successful a measurement that today’s ground-based cellular networks can’t, particularly successful places wherever cellular infrastructure is spotty aliases nonexistent.

Geely has already advertised that it’s going to capitalize connected its outer capabilities. Several Geely models, including nan Geely Galaxy Xinyao 8 PHEV sedan, Lynk & Co 900 PHEV SUV, and all-electric Zeekr 001, travel pinch outer connection technology.