Track China's Guowang constellation

azmth currently tracks 195 Guowang satellites in CelesTrak's active catalogue, as of 14 September 2026. Data from CelesTrak, refreshed every 2 hours.

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Guowang, meaning national network, is the low-Earth-orbit broadband constellation of China Satellite Network Group (China SatNet), a state-owned company. Its production satellites are listed in tracking catalogues as HULIANWANG DIGUI, the Chinese for satellite internet, low orbit, rather than under the name Guowang. azmth counts them live from CelesTrak data.

Also called 国网 (Guówǎng), GW星座 (GW Xīngzuò), Xingwang

As of 14 September 2026, Guowang is the low Earth orbit internet constellation of state-owned China SatNet, with 24 launches carrying 195 satellites since 16 December 2024 and no start of service reported.

TL;DR· 8 min read

Guowang is the low Earth orbit satellite internet constellation of China Satellite Network Group (China SatNet), a state-owned company whose founding meeting was held in Beijing on 26 April 2021. Between 16 December 2024 and 16 August 2026, 24 launches carried 195 of its production satellites into orbit, and azmth's live count from CelesTrak's active catalogue is 195. China's filings with the International Telecommunication Union describe 12,992 satellites, according to SpaceNews, and no start of broadband service had been reported by 14 September 2026.

195

in CelesTrak's active catalogue now

as of 14 September 2026

195

production satellites launched in 24 deployment launches, all still in orbit

as of 14 September 2026 · source

12,992

satellites in China's two GW filings with the ITU, as reported by SpaceNews

as of April 2021 · source

What Guowang is

Guowang (国网, 'national network') is the low Earth orbit satellite internet constellation being deployed by China Satellite Network Group Co., Ltd., known as China SatNet (中国星网). Chinese press describe the company as a centrally approved state-owned enterprise for designing, building and operating satellite internet, and its founding meeting was held in Beijing on 26 April 2021. Guowang is the name used in the media. Official launch announcements call each batch 卫星互联网低轨NN组卫星, 'satellite internet low-orbit group NN satellites'.

Deployment began on 16 December 2024, when a Long March 5B launched the first group of 10 production satellites from Wenchang. By 16 August 2026 there had been 24 deployment launches carrying 195 satellites: 10 in 2024, 126 in 2025 and 59 in 2026 up to 14 September. Each Long March 5B launch carried 10 satellites, each Long March 8A or Long March 12 launch carried 9, and each Long March 6A launch from Taiyuan carried 5. Those numbers come from CelesTrak's catalogue and Jonathan McDowell's GCAT, because the official announcements checked do not give them. On 14 September 2026 CelesTrak showed all 195 still in orbit with none decayed. azmth's live count, which rises as new groups are catalogued, is 195.

The production satellites occupy two orbital shells. Groups launched on Long March 5B and 6A rockets fly at about 1,167 km with an inclination of 86.5 degrees, and groups launched on Long March 8A and 12 rockets fly at about 1,149 km and 50 degrees. On 14 September 2026 group 24 was at about 976 to 982 km, below the 50-degree shell and apparently still climbing, and no production satellite was yet in GW-A59, the lower of the two filed sub-constellations. The 86.5-degree shell lies outside the 30 to 85 degree range that SpaceNews reported for the filings. The Chinese sources checked for this page give no figures for the satellites' mass or frequency bands.

McDowell's catalogue counts satellite internet technology tests, flown since 9 July 2023 under several catalogue names, as part of the same programme. A Long March 2D launched one such test mission from Xichang on 31 May 2026 (30 May in UTC). IT之家's report refers to 'the satellite' (该卫星) in the singular, while CelesTrak catalogues four payloads at about 446 to 516 km and 55 degrees and McDowell identifies all four as test satellites. IT之家 said, without naming a source, that the mission is mainly for testing broadband links direct to mobile phones and the integration of space and ground networks. One earlier test satellite, HJS-6A, re-entered on 16 October 2025, and no production satellite had re-entered by 14 September 2026.

According to SpaceNews, China filed in September 2020 for two GW constellations with the International Telecommunication Union, totalling 12,992 satellites at altitudes from about 500 to 1,145 km. Chinese Wikipedia splits the total into GW-A59, with 6,080 satellites at about 508 to 600 km, and GW-2, with 6,912 satellites at 1,145 km. Some Chinese reports place GW-A59 below 500 km, which neither SpaceNews nor that table supports. 经济观察报 reported that ITU rules require a filer to launch its first satellite within seven years and deploy 10% of the filing within nine, and that this makes 2027 to 2029 the deadlines for China's first constellation filings. 通信世界网 reported in March 2026, without naming a China SatNet document, that the company aims to have 400 satellites operating in orbit by 2027, about 1,300 launched by the end of 2029 and about 13,000 deployed by 2035. These are reported targets.

How to find them on the globe

CelesTrak lists the production satellites as HULIANWANG DIGUI-01 upwards, numbered in launch order (from 互联网低轨, 'internet, low orbit'). A newly launched group can sit under a provisional name for weeks: group 24 was still listed as GUOWANG 24 OBJECT A to J on 14 September 2026. azmth's live count takes names beginning HULIANWANG DIGUI, or GUOWANG followed by a group number. Technology test satellites, which Jonathan McDowell's catalogue identifies as the programme's tests, are catalogued as HULIANWANG JISHU SHIYAN, CHUANGXIN 19, CHUANGXIN 20A to 20C, HJS-6 to HJS-9 and GUOWANG TEST OBJECT A to D, plus two unnamed objects from launch 2024-226. They are left out of the count, as are three geostationary satellites spelt HULIANWAN GAOGUI.

Coverage and service

As of 14 September 2026 no start of broadband service by China SatNet had been reported, and no notice from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) had been found granting it a satellite internet operating licence. The Paper reported on 1 July 2026 that a source at AsiaInfo thought China SatNet very likely to receive a licence in the second half of 2026. MIIT's notice of 20 August 2026 approved a two-year satellite IoT trial for Geespace's Geely constellation and did not mention China SatNet, and China in Space reported on 11 September 2026 that only the Geely and Tianqi constellations had trial approvals. IT之家 wrote in June 2026, without naming a source, that a backbone network is expected by the end of 2026, with nationwide coverage first. The test mission launched on 31 May 2026 is, according to IT之家, for broadband links direct to mobile phones. CelesTrak's active status is the catalogue's own code for each satellite and makes no statement about service.

What we know

Operator: China Satellite Network Group Co., Ltd. (中国卫星网络集团有限公司), short name China SatNet (中国星网). A central state-owned enterprise, it began working from its headquarters in Xiong'an New Area on 14 October 2024, the first central state-owned enterprise registered there. as of 16 October 2024 · finance.sina.com.cn
Operator founded: Founding meeting held in Beijing on 26 April 2021, attended by State Councillor Wang Yong. as of 29 April 2021 · xinhuanet.com
Production satellites launched: 195 on 24 deployment launches between 16 December 2024 and 16 August 2026. CelesTrak records all 195 in orbit with no decay dates. as of 14 September 2026 · celestrak.org
Launches by year: 2024: 1 launch and 10 satellites. 2025: 16 launches and 126 satellites. 2026 up to 14 September: 7 launches and 59 satellites. as of 14 September 2026 · celestrak.org
Observed orbits: About 1,167 km at 86.5 degrees for groups launched on Long March 5B and 6A rockets, and about 1,149 km at 50 degrees for groups launched on Long March 8A and 12 rockets. Group 24 was at about 976 to 982 km and apparently still climbing. as of 14 September 2026 · celestrak.org
Filed with the ITU: 12,992 satellites in two GW constellations at about 500 to 1,145 km and 30 to 85 degrees, filed in September 2020 as reported by SpaceNews. Chinese Wikipedia names them GW-A59 (6,080 satellites) and GW-2 (6,912). as of April 2021 · spacenews.com
Reported targets: 400 satellites operating in orbit by 2027, about 1,300 launched by the end of 2029 and about 13,000 deployed by 2035, as reported by 通信世界网 without naming a China SatNet document. By 14 September 2026, 195 production satellites had been launched. as of 16 March 2026 · cww.net.cn
Satellite builders: Contractors build the satellites. The Shanghai Engineering Center for Microsatellites says it was prime contractor for group 21. Science and Technology Daily, citing CASC, says CASC's Fifth Academy (CAST) built group 24, which Gunter's Space Page lists under Galaxy Space instead. as of 16 August 2026 · microsate.com
Test satellites: Technology test satellites launched since 9 July 2023 are catalogued as HULIANWANG JISHU SHIYAN, CHUANGXIN 19, CHUANGXIN 20A to 20C, HJS-6 to HJS-9 and GUOWANG TEST OBJECT A to D, plus two unnamed objects from launch 2024-226. One, HJS-6A, launched on 1 April 2025 and re-entered on 16 October 2025. as of 14 September 2026 · celestrak.org
Geostationary satellites: Three satellites catalogued as HULIANWAN GAOGUI-01 to -03 were launched from Xichang on 29 February, 1 August and 10 October 2024. Their link to China SatNet has not been confirmed. as of 14 September 2026 · planet4589.org

Timeline

September 2020
China files for two GW satellite constellations with the International Telecommunication Union, totalling 12,992 satellites, as reported by SpaceNews in April 2021. spacenews.com
26 April 2021
China Satellite Network Group holds its founding meeting in Beijing, attended by State Councillor Wang Yong. xinhuanet.com
9 July 2023
First satellite internet technology test launch: HULIANWANG JISHU SHIYAN A and B on a Long March 2C from Jiuquan. celestrak.org
14 October 2024
China SatNet begins working from its headquarters in Xiong'an New Area, the first central state-owned enterprise registered there. finance.sina.com.cn
16 December 2024
Group 01, the first deployment launch: a Long March 5B with a Yuanzheng-2 upper stage lifts off from Wenchang. CelesTrak catalogues 10 satellites from it. news.cn
16 October 2025
Group 12 launches on a Long March 8A, and by CelesTrak's records Guowang's total of production satellites launched passes Qianfan's for the first time, 95 to 90. celestrak.org
31 May 2026
A Long March 2D launches a satellite internet technology test mission from Xichang at 02:07 Beijing time. CelesTrak catalogues four payloads from it as GUOWANG TEST OBJECT A to D. finance.sina.com.cn
16 August 2026
Group 24 launches on a Long March 12 from the Hainan commercial spaceport at 12:10 Beijing time, the most recent deployment launch found as of 14 September 2026. stdaily.com

Commonly got wrong

(1) Official launch announcements from Xinhua, the China National Space Administration and CASC name each batch 卫星互联网低轨NN组 ('satellite internet low-orbit group NN'), and those checked for groups 01, 07, 20, 21, 23 and 24 give no satellite count. The group number is a launch sequence number. CelesTrak and Jonathan McDowell's GCAT show the counts: 10 on each Long March 5B, 9 on each Long March 8A or Long March 12, and 5 on each Long March 6A.
(2) 未来天玑 reported on 22 December 2025 that MIIT had issued China's first commercial satellite internet operating licences to six companies, including China SatNet. The item is an uncredited industry-group repost that cites no MIIT notice, and none was found. Later sources point the other way: The Paper (1 July 2026) quoted an AsiaInfo source still expecting a licence for China SatNet in the second half of 2026, MIIT's own trial approval for Geespace on 20 August 2026 did not mention China SatNet, and China in Space (11 September 2026) said only the Geely and Tianqi constellations had trial approvals. No MIIT notice found by 14 September 2026 shows China SatNet holding a licence.
(3) Totals differ with what is counted. Counting only CelesTrak names that begin HULIANWANG DIGUI gave 186 on 14 September 2026, because group 24 was still listed as GUOWANG 24 OBJECT A to J, and a search for GUOWANG alone returned 13 objects, 4 of them test satellites. McDowell's wider Xingwang tally (234 launched as of 10 September 2026) adds 39 technology and communications test satellites, 4 of which failed to reach orbit, and leaves out the three geostationary satellites. The production series stood at 195 launched on 14 September 2026.
(4) Build-out figures conflict. China in Space (17 June 2026) cited a plan of 310 satellites in 2026, 900 in 2027 and 3,600 a year from 2028, attributing it to a login-gated Weibo post whose author is unverified. Chinese trade press cite 400 in orbit by 2027, and a slide reportedly shown at a Wenchang forum gave 4,000 Guowang satellites to be launched in 2028. None has been traced to a published China SatNet document, and 59 production satellites were launched in 2026 up to 14 September. 21世纪经济报道 wrote on 9 April 2026 that group 21 was the third deployment launch of 2026 and that more than 130 satellites launched in 2025; the launch record shows group 21 was the fourth, and 2025 saw 126 production satellites launched (134 counting the eight HJS test satellites catalogued that year).

Sources

Checked on 14 September 2026. Sources in Chinese were read in their own language and translated for this page; where official statements and independent tracking disagree, both are given. The live count above comes from the catalogue, not from this research.

Frequently asked

How many Guowang satellites are there?

azmth's live count of Guowang production satellites in CelesTrak's active catalogue is 195. On 14 September 2026 CelesTrak's records showed all 195 satellites from the 24 deployment launches still in orbit with none decayed, and group 24 was apparently still climbing towards its shell. Technology test satellites and three geostationary satellites are catalogued separately and left out of that count. Jonathan McDowell's wider Xingwang tally, which includes the tests, stood at 234 launched on 10 September 2026.

Why are Guowang satellites called HULIANWANG DIGUI?

The catalogue name follows the Chinese used in official launch announcements, 卫星互联网低轨NN组卫星 ('satellite internet low-orbit group NN satellites'): 互联网 (hùliánwǎng) means internet and 低轨 (dīguǐ) means low orbit. Guowang (国网, 'national network') is the media name, and Jonathan McDowell's catalogue calls the programme Xingwang, the pinyin of 星网 in the operator's short name 中国星网. A newly launched group can carry a provisional name first, as group 24 still did on 14 September 2026 under GUOWANG 24 OBJECT A to J.

Does Guowang provide internet service yet?

No start of broadband service had been reported as of 14 September 2026, and no notice from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology had been found granting China SatNet an operating licence. A December 2025 report that it held one cited no notice and was contradicted by later sources. The Paper reported on 1 July 2026 that an AsiaInfo source expected a licence in the second half of 2026. A test mission launched on 31 May 2026 is, according to IT之家, for broadband links direct to mobile phones.

How many satellites is Guowang meant to have?

China's two GW filings with the International Telecommunication Union describe 12,992 satellites, according to SpaceNews, and Chinese sources name them GW-A59 and GW-2. Chinese trade press report targets of 400 satellites operating in orbit by 2027, about 1,300 launched by the end of 2029 and about 13,000 by 2035, without naming a China SatNet document. These are plans. By 14 September 2026, 195 production satellites had been launched.

Is Guowang the same as Qianfan?

They are separate Chinese constellations. Qianfan, also called Thousand Sails, is run by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), and Guowang belongs to the state-owned China SatNet. By CelesTrak's records Guowang's launched total passed Qianfan's on 16 October 2025, Qianfan moved ahead again on 4 June 2026, and on 14 September 2026 CelesTrak listed 238 Qianfan satellites in orbit against 195 Guowang production satellites.

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